Fading Facades
by lightsandpaints
Summary: Tsubaki Miyako becomes a member of Team7, only to realize adversary Uchiha Sasuke is assigned to the same team. Past incidents force their ideals to clash & their teamwork to falter, but is wiping such a stained slate clean truly impossible? Sasuke x OC.
1. Adversaries

**Chapter 1 : Adversaries.**

"All right, class, listen up!"

Iruka let out a heavy sigh, rubbing the long scar across his nose gently as he glanced around the large classroom. Young as he was, even he, a recently promoted Jounin, could not quiet the exhilaration flooding throughout the young students before him. Teenagers quickly snatched seats, and within seconds, the classroom was quiet and orderly, though anyone could have noticed that the prolonged, intense excitement was still present.

"Starting today," Iruka began, brushing a strand of dark brown hair from his attentive black eyes as he paced around the stone room, "all of you are actual shinobi."

At once, the silence began to disappear, replaced instantly with exciting squeals and uncontrollable twitching. Iruka frowned slightly.

"However," he continued, his voice significantly louder now, hushing the enthusiasm once more, "you are all still Genin, and this role is not to be taken lightly. In order to actually help your own village, you will be assigned various missions. As a result, we are to divide you all into three-member teams, and each team will be assigned a Jounin as their sensei. Now, this particular class consists of a total of twenty-eight students, so one team will have four Genin. Is this all understood?"

"Yes, Iruka-sensei!" the class chimed impatiently.

As soon as Iruka began reading out names, a young, blonde boy in the very back of the room turned in his chair to face the pink-haired girl sitting next to him. He grinned, his cheeks flushing a light pink as he completely tuned out his sensei's words.

"Team seven!" Iruka continued, his young voice projecting easily in the spacious room. "Your team will be a four-member team—Uzumaki Naruto! Haruno Sakura! Uchiha Sasuke! Tsubaki Miyako!"

The blonde boy's grin widened significantly as soon as he heard Sakura's name. Naruto turned to look at Sakura once more, only to realize that her cheeks were also flushed, but the reaction was undoubtedly directed elsewhere. Naruto's bright, sapphire eyes dulled with disappointment and his lips pursed with dislike as he surveyed his other teammate.

Uchiha Sasuke had completely ignored the young girl's flirtatious smile, crimson cheeks, and batting eyelashes. Naruto's frown deepened as he glared at his fellow teammate, whose black eyes remained emotionless as he heard the names of his teammates, and his brain searched wildly for any reasons on how the suave student in front of him had managed to attract the attention of so many kunoichi in the past. No doubt Sasuke had always been the class's top Genin, having always surpassed the academy's students in ninjutsu, but other than that, Naruto couldn't seem to comprehend any other positive characteristics. Uchiha Sasuke seldom spoke, though when one did come across such an extraordinary occurrence, he nearly always gave a one-worded response.

Naruto craned his neck back in an effort to glance around the room, his azure eyes searching eagerly for the fourth member of their team. At once, his keen eyesight located the correct name tag, but his heart sank faintly as he recognized the young kunoichi sitting behind the tag, the student known as Tsubaki Miyako.

There were a number of peculiar attributes to Miyako. Perhaps it was the fact that her personality, in fact, was exceptionally similar to that of Uchiha Sasuke's. She was tremendously talented, her shuriken performance and test scores only falling short only to none other than Sasuke. Miyako was also quiet and reserved, though rumors said that when spoken to, she was normally more verbal than Sasuke. Her glistening amber eyes were her most fascinating attribute, as they never seemed to dull. Long, dark eyelashes brushed against her layered black bangs, and she merely blinked as she too heard the names of her fellow teammates. Naruto cocked his head to one side as he continued to survey her, clearly befuddled by the mask she wore around her mouth, which hid the remainder of her face, providing her with an enigmatic, and at the same time, an uneasy presence.

Naruto's attention was brought back to earth by Iruka's voice, which had increased in volume, signaling the end of team assignment.

"You are all to proceed to the village square," Iruka instructed, reviewing the students one last time. "From there, you will each be assigned a Jounin sensei, who will be the source of your team's information as more importantly, your missions. The more missions you complete, the more experience you will obtain, and undoubtedly, the more advantages you will have when the time comes to advance as Chunin. That's all for now, class dismissed."

***

"So… I'm the unlucky Jounin who gets assigned to four Genin rather than three."

Four heads looked up simultaneously as a tall, lean figure approached them along the rooftop of the village square. Each Genin sat a considerable distance from each other, with the exception of Sakura sitting merely inches away from Sasuke. Naruto had decided that it wasn't worth sitting next to his all-too-quiet rival just to lessen his distance to the cute, emerald-eyed Sakura, though his unhappy glares clearly revealed the internal battle with his own thoughts.

Miyako glanced up as the Jounin stopped before them, and her large, auburn eyes widened in curiosity as she noticed a black mask tied across the lower half of his face, an appearance unmistakably like her own.

Despite the fact that a significant portion of his face was hidden and that his hair was an unusual gray, the four of them could tell at first glance that he was still young, perhaps in his mid or late twenties. Like the rest of them, his forehead protector bore the symbol of Konoha, the Leaf Village from which each and every one of them had been raised, but unlike them, the headband slumped downwards, covering his left eye from view. Just by glancing at his right eye, however, one could easily tell that he was smiling.

Naruto stood up instantly and crossed his arms across his chest, a deep scowl spread across his face.

"Where have you been?" he demanded. "All the other students left with their instructors nearly an hour ago!"

The Jounin brought a gloved hand to his chin and rubbed it thoughtfully. "Well, I got a bit lost."

Naruto glowered and shifted his forehead protector edgily. He had never been the type to wait, especially not when it came to training.

"So," the Jounin said, leaning lazily against a pillar and folding his arms, his one eye searching the cloudless sky. "Let's introduce ourselves…with say, your name, your likes and dislikes, dreams and goals, anything… starting on the right."

Sakura raised an eyebrow, her green eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Why don't you introduce yourself first, sensei?"

"Oh… me?" he replied airily, bringing his attention back to the situation. "I'm Hatake Kakashi. I don't see any point in telling you my likes or dislikes… my dreams for the future? Hmm… and I have quite a number of hobbies…"

Kakashi said all this as if he were mumbling words to himself, causing three more eyebrows to raise in addition to Sakura's.

Naruto stood up instantly and cleared his throat; eagerness practically radiated from his body. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto! I like ramen, but I dislike waiting three minutes for the ramen to cook the most. And my dream is to become Hokage and have the people of Konoha acknowledge my existence!"

Miyako noticed the tiny movement in Kakashi's facial structure that had indicated a small smile underneath the mask. The other Genin said nothing as Kakashi merely nodded and turned his attention to the dark-haired boy sitting several feet next to Naruto.

"Uchiha Sasuke," he said clearly, his voice void of any emotion whatsoever. Amber eyes flickered, but the uneasiness disappeared within a blink. "There are plenty of things I dislike, and at the same time, I don't really like anything. My dream is more of an objective, which is to resurrect my clan and… to kill a certain man."

There was a brief silence following Sasuke's ominous answer, but Kakashi merely nodded again; his still composure indicated that he had heard nothing surprising.

Sakura was next. She blushed innocently before speaking, her olive eyes practically glowing in admiration as she glimpsed at Sasuke, causing the frown on Naruto's face to deepen.

"I'm Haruno Sakura," she said in a quiet voice, twiddling her thumbs anxiously. "What I like is… or well, _who_ I like… my dreams… err…"

She paused, glancing over at Sasuke once more before giggling. Kakashi raised an eyebrow, and, after waiting a few seconds to ensure that she had finished her introduction and soon concluding that she had, gave another terse nod.

His eyes flickered in surprise as he noticed a similar, dark mask on the young kunoichi's face. Her long, dark eyelashes fluttered as she too, like Kakashi, assumed that Sakura had finished speaking.

"Tsubaki Miyako," she said calmly as she brushed wisps of black hair from her eyes. Her voice was soft, clear and composed. "I enjoy starting the day off before sunrise… mm, I dislike noisy and crowded environments. I don't have a dream or ambition in particular, but I do hope to increase my strength and skills in order to become an asset to this village."

Coffee orbs gleamed in the sunlight as she blinked, allowing it to look as if she was smiling through her eyes alone. Kakashi paused momentarily, his eyes flickering from one Genin to the other, and then nodded.

"All right, that's it for introductions. Tomorrow, we will begin our duties as shinobi. Be sure to get a full night's rest, and meet by the forest entrance tomorrow morning. You are dismissed."

***

"Increase your strengths and skills? To become an vital asset to this village?"

The deep, sardonic voice caused the young kunoichi to cease walking. Within an instant, a figure had appeared a couple feet in front of her, hands tucked into his pockets, a wild smirk pasted against his lips.

"Tch," he snickered, his black eyes flashing mockingly. "Too embarrassed to spit out what actually happened?"

The kunoichi's shoulders shrugged downwards as she sighed heavily, cocking her head to one side as she recognized the young shinobi in front of her.

"Uchiha," she said exasperatedly, rolling her eyes. "You've never spoken to me once at the academy… what's changed so suddenly?"

"Ironic, isn't it?" he sneered. "How the two of us were assigned to the same team, that is… I never thought you would've become this pathetic. Then again, it was pretty humiliating, the way my clan completely annihilated yours."

Miyako's auburn eyes flashed angrily, yet she remained still. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, his black eyes gleaming maliciously.

"It seems like I touched a nerve," he snickered.

"Mm," she began thoughtfully, her lips curling into a wry smirk beneath her mask. "If I remember correctly, the Uchiha clan was also eradicated, by one of their own, actually, and in a single night at that… so I believe you aren't in a position to argue such a point."

A single shuriken whizzed soundlessly at her face, disappearing and reappearing in less than the time it took for her to blink. Miyako lifted a gloved hand and caught the shuriken almost lazily, twirling it between her fingers, her smirk widening as she noticed the fury beneath those dark eyes.

"Don't you _dare_ let the name Uchiha spill from your mouth so easily," he snarled, eyes flashing threateningly. "Don't think that you're stronger just because you hide behind that useless mask, Tsubaki. I could rip it off anytime… besides, your pitiful clan will always and inevitably be considered beneath ours…"

"Uchiha," Miyako replied coolly as she tossed the shuriken aside, completely ignoring his threat. "If you happen to loathe me so much, then you'd be clever enough to not remove my mask. Since you're already so familiar with my clan, I'm sure you understand the duties behind such an action."

Sasuke said nothing, but his mouth was still curled into a snarl, connoting the fact that she watch her words. He scoffed again, and without another word, turned around and leaped into the forest, out of sight.

It hadn't surprised her that their first encounter—perhaps maybe their last, judging from the conclusion it reached—didn't consist of an offer to leave the past behind and start anew on a clean, blank slate. Though of course, Miyako thought warily as she watched the clouds pass across the clear, open sky, the chances that she and Sasuke resolved anything were about the same as the chances the Uchiha brothers would arrive at a peaceful agreement: miniscule. Miyako shook her head gently, allowing the cool zephyr to loosen wisps of ebony hair from her ponytail, and heaved another sigh, continuing along the dusty road as if nothing irregular had interrupted her walk.

____________________________

**Author's Note:**

Hi! Some clarifications first – I found it relatively easier to write about each character while they were at an older level. So as Genin, Naruto and friends are roughly 14 or 15, and therefore once we reach the three-year jump, each will be 17 or 18. :D

I do not own _Naruto_.

That's it for now – hope you all enjoy, and please r&r!

________________________________________________________________________


	2. Motives

**Chapter 2 : Motives.**

"One of the first lessons we must all learn as shinobi—"

"—is to be punctual," Sakura interrupted, not bothering to keep her voice low. "Sensei, why are you always late?"

Kakashi chuckled. "Well, today was an exception. Today, I got lost on… the road of life."

Naruto snorted. Sakura sighed exasperatedly, her pink hair ruffling in the wind as she tucked a stray strand behind her headband.

"Anyways, today, you four are going to learn how to correctly maintain your chakra," Kakashi continued, "and you are to do that through tree climbing." He indicated with his gloved hand. "Perhaps a demonstration is in order."

Miyako's attention, which had been directed elsewhere, snapped back instantly. Her amber eyes narrowed with interest, and, though no one else perceived it, a small smile of excitement formed beneath her mask. Next to Hokage, the Jounin status was the highest rank a shinobi could possibly achieve; not only was a Jounin exceptionally talented, but she had realized overnight that though Hatake Kakashi seemed bored a good majority of the time, he was the son of Konoha's White Fang, and was thus undoubtedly gifted.

"Tree climbing?" Naruto asked, raising a curious, blonde eyebrow. "How's that supposed to help us maintain chakra?"

Kakashi simply smiled. He approached the nearest tree, paused for a few seconds before it, and then lifted his right leg and placed it sideways along the trunk. Adjusting his body so that it was perpendicular to the tree, Kakashi stuck his hands into his pockets and walked against the surface almost lazily. Before long, he was hanging upside down from the nearest branch, his feet glued to the wood beneath, or rather, above.

"By focusing and directing a bit of your chakra to solely your feet, you can do the same," Kakashi answered, staring into Naruto's blue eyes, which were sparkling in admiration.

He drew out a handful of kunai from his pocket and thrust them towards his apprehensive students.

"Pick a tree, and then use those to mark how high you get, and then go from there," Kakashi said, closing his eyes as he released the chakra from his feet, flipped over mid-air, and landed gracefully on his feet. "Good luck."

Naruto's mouth twitched as he caught Sasuke's eyes. The two frowned at each other, and in an instant, began racing towards the nearest trees. Sakura and Miyako caught each other's eyes and smiled, both chuckling from the boys' eagerness to compete.

Miyako twirled the kunai handle between her slender fingers and shut both eyes in an attempt to focus, but after merely seconds of concentrating on her chakra flow, she heard a light giggle.

Sakura was sitting on the highest branch of her tree, her slim legs dangling enthusiastically in the air. Kakashi raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed, and chuckled.

"Well, it looks like we know who's best at maintaining their chakra flow," he said lightly, turning to his other three students. "Naruto, it might be difficult for you to become Hokage if you can't perform a simple task like this… and it looks like the Uchiha heir isn't so tough either. And Miyako, your clan is practically—"

A single kunai whizzed through the air and pierced the ground beneath, stopping Kakashi from completing his sentence. Miyako was dangling upside down, using nothing but her two feet for support, in the exact position Kakashi had been minutes before. Her lips parted into a small smile as she positioned herself right side-up, sitting comfortably on top of the branch; the rest of the team had already learned how to read her emotions through those glittering auburn eyes.

"Like you said, Kakashi-sensei, the Tsubaki clan has always found the topic of chakra control important," she said quietly. Her smile widened. "But I do remember reading somewhere that females generally learn how to control their chakra a bit faster than males... so I guess I was lucky this time."

Kakashi nodded. "True—females have smaller structures, so directing chakra flow to specific locations is easier." He turned, now speaking to all of them at once. "After a bit more practice, if you apply a tad more chakra to your feet, walking on water won't be a problem. Once you completely master the chakra control concept, however, you can even communicate between allies… but that's a feat that even trained Jounin have difficulty doing. Mm, well, it looks like it's just you two now, Naruto, Sasuke."

But even as he spoke, the two Genin had already made more than one attempt to walk sideways up their tree trunks. Both were fiercely determined not to be the last Genin to accomplish the task set for them, and their willpower allowed both to walk much farther up the tree than their previous attempts.

"Naruto, you're doing much better than Uchiha is," Miyako called, her lips curving into a smirk.

Naruto grinned, while Sasuke glared menacingly at her. He bit down his lower lip, clearly frustrated, and attempted again. Meanwhile, Naruto had approached Sakura, asking for advice. The two began talking animatedly, and the smirk beneath Miyako's mask merely widened as she continued to watch Sasuke struggle stubbornly. Knowing him, asking for advice was the last thing on his mind.

Kakashi had welcomed the shade beneath a particularly large tree, and was sitting lazily beneath it, using his knees to prop open a book.

"Why don't you ask Miyako-chan?" Naruto suggested to Sasuke, as Miyako leaped down from her tree.

"I'm not asking that low-class bitch anything," he snarled loudly.

There was a long, tense silence after Sasuke's retort. Naruto and Sakura both froze, and even Kakashi had raised his eyes from his book.

"Rather than fume with jealousy, I suggest you put your brilliant Uchiha mind to work," said Miyako coldly, pursing her lips into a thin line.

She sat next to Sakura, who had an alarmed look on her face as she glanced from Sasuke to Miyako. Kakashi sighed deeply before returning to his book, and Naruto was merely puzzled, but seeing how high up Sasuke's kunai marks were reaching, he refocused his attention instantly.

"Um, Miyako-chan," Sakura began hesitantly. "I'm just curious—"

Miyako grimaced. She had assumed that everyone in Konoha was aware of the bitterness that had formed between the Uchiha and the Tsubaki clan. Despite the fact that Sakura, and perhaps Naruto, was unaware, it was a story she disliked discussing.

"Would you like me to explain?" Kakashi interrupted, almost as if reading her exact thoughts.

The dark-haired kunoichi shrugged. The coldness in her eyes had been replaced by a glint of indifference.

"The Tsubaki clan is mostly composed of women, as you probably already know, Sakura," Kakashi began, keeping his voice and eyes low in case he attracted Sasuke's attention. "They have one primary rule, which is to keep their face hidden no matter what the case."

"Tsubaki kunoichi are trained from a young age," Kakashi continued, his one good eye gliding across the pages of his book even as he spoke. "Thus, the kunoichi are normally exceptionally skilled and are difficult to defeat. However, the other half of the clan law is that any Tsubaki kunoichi must wed the first man that glimpses her face, no matter what the circumstance. Normally, it is determined through a challenge, but there are other ways…"

"But what does that have to do with Sasuke-kun?" inquired Sakura, clearly perplexed.

"The Uchiha clan, being an extremely powerful and at the same time, a proud clan, attempted to 'own' the Tsubaki clan," Kakashi answered coolly. "Defeating a Tsubaki kunoichi was tough, and the Uchiha clan hoped to overcome the entire Tsubaki clan so that their fame and power would rise. Obviously, the members of the Tsubaki clan revolted, which caused, the Uchihas, clearly the stronger clan, to annihilate the Tsubakis. And that brings us to… today."

"But," Kakashi continued, shutting his book and placing it aside. "I do hope the five of us, as big of a group as we are, get along despite erm… past experiences. Though it seems like Naruto and Sasuke have reconciled a bit…"

Sure enough, the two remaining Genin approached Kakashi with dust, scars and bruises against their faces, their arms around each other's shoulders as they supported one another.

"Well, well, it looks like the two of you managed to accomplish the task at the same time," Kakashi said, smiling faintly. "That's all for today then; we'll continue tomorrow morning—same location."

***

Miyako yawned lazily, running her fingers through her hair as she pulled it out of a ponytail, allowing the dark, polished waves to ripple several inches past her shoulders. It was raining heavily outside, and the wind had intensified during the previous hours, causing the tree branches to gleam beneath the soft moonlight, creating shadows that danced occasionally across the cold floor of the dimly-lit apartment.

In tomorrow's lesson, of course, she would not be so lucky as to have already acquired the concept. Kakashi would be hoping for his students to progress quickly in time for the Chunin exams, and there were several skills other than chakra control to be learned. Her stomach gave a nervous twitch as the thought of Sasuke crossed her mind—there was no doubt that he was the stronger one, even if today's lesson had shown otherwise.

Miyako stifled another yawn and flipped the light switch, letting the darkness engulf her surroundings completely. She reached behind her neck, underneath the layers of dark hair, proceeding to untie the knot beneath. Wearing the mask all day had always been uncomfortable, but after fifteen years of the same routine, she had grown used to it. Still, it seemed much more comfortable sleeping without tightly binding half her face.

Miyako's amber eyes snapped wide open as she suddenly sensed another presence in the room. Her hands flew to the weapons that hung in the pouch at her waist, but the culprit was already behind her. A hand shuffled beneath her hair, reaching for the loose knot. Her eyes widened in terror and she thrust an arm at the villain's face, only to have him seize her wrist almost idly. In an instant, the tall figure had pinned her trembling body against a wall, her wrists held tightly in his grip.

He leaned closer, and the moonlight shimmered briefly against his prominent smirk and dark, malicious eyes. Miyako froze, recognizing the figure instantly. She stood, breathless, as he leaned closer to her face, so close that she felt his hot breath against her cheek as he chuckled.

"Pathetic," Sasuke sneered in her ear, tightening the grasp against her wrists so that she flinched. "A little closer and I would've already removed that mask."

"What do you want?" she snapped, her heart pounding wildly as she tried to stand still. The mask was already so close to being unfastened—one sudden, unpredicted move, and it would surely fall.

Sasuke's smirk widened. "I thought you were somewhat impressive after today's lesson… but you completely let your guard down… look at you—you're shaking so hard… scared?"

She snarled angrily and thrust her knee upwards, hoping to collide it against some vulnerable point of his, but it was of no use. Sasuke blocked her knee with his own leg the instant it had risen, further immobilizing her.

"It's only a matter of time before I take off that mask," he breathed, his black eyes gleaming with amusement as he watched her struggle uselessly. "It was too easy… you really are beneath us Uchihas, the way your defense is so poorly constructed."

"I thought you loathed me," Miyako retorted, her legs shaking with rage as she stood, pinned upright against the stone cold wall, "so why on earth—"

"Don't you know how nice it'd be for everyone to hear that the Uchiha heir managed to defeat the last known member of the Tsubaki clan?" Sasuke replied, chuckling softly. "You know how easy it'd be to reconstruct my clan? Even though defeating you didn't require much…"

Miyako laughed bitterly. "How embarrassing would it be for everyone to hear how you merely waited until my guard was down before attacking me? If it's power you want, then make it fair… unless, of course, you want to be known as a coward, Uchiha."

The firm grip around her wrists loosened. Miyako's stiff hands immediately flew behind her neck, tightening the knot as she glared at the shinobi before her through cold, bitter eyes.

"All right, then," he sneered, scoffing underneath his breath. "We'll see how good you fare a second time. _Do_ try and put up a bit of a fight next time though, Tsubaki."

She blinked, and he was gone. It took her several seconds to recuperate and digest all of what had just happened. Her wrists ached, and she massaged them slowly as she stared into the blank darkness, into the wispy shadows along the walls of her room. His smirk stood out notably in her mind, causing a sort of bizarre hatred to simmer throughout her body, and then she shuddered unconsciously at the thought of what would've happened if he hadn't listened to her request and instead proceeded to remove her mask.


	3. Apathy

**Chapter 3 : Apathy.**

Several incidents happened over the course of the next week, including a rather perilous, S-rank mission trip to the Land of the Waves, where the team miraculously managed to defeat Zabuza Momochi, one of Kirigakure's Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, and his right hand man, Haku. In the course of the extraordinarily dangerous mission, Miyako had received the news from Naruto that Sasuke, who, during the battle had astoundingly activated his Sharingan, had been killed by the child prodigy Haku while trying to protect Naruto from further harm. Two hours later, however, after everything had sorted itself out, it was to Miyako's greatest dismay to hear that Sasuke was, in fact, still alive.

The S-rank mission that had accidentally been assigned to team seven was undoubtedly the most intense and exhilarating task the Genin had all week, and as they soon came to realize, all month. After the missions office realized they had completely jeopardized the lives of four young Genin and their sensei, they made sure to assign strictly D-rank missions and nothing higher.

At the same time, the relationship between Uchiha Sasuke and Tsubaki Miyako had worsened since their previous encounter in Miyako's apartment. The two Genin made it a priority to snap at one another whenever possible, though both got along with the rest of their teammates perfectly well. Their hostility towards each other was evident, and, as Kakashi tiredly pointed out one evening, the bickering and bantering was indisputably getting in the way of their teamwork.

"If you two hadn't been arguing, we would've been finished with the mission ages ago," said Kakashi wearily, "and I wouldn't have had to pay to spend the night here…"

Sasuke snorted, and Miyako sighed. Personally, she too was growing a bit tired of their quarreling. Kakashi stifled a yawn and waved his students off the front porch, indicating that they go into their separate rooms to sleep.

Miyako glanced over at Sasuke, half expecting him to continue his rant from earlier today about how the Tsubaki clan was beyond pathetic, but her frustration seemed to vanish instantly. His head was raised towards the dark, empty sky, and the lustrous, full moon gleamed against his coal-black eyes, eyes that were filled with an inexpressible amount of sorrow.

He seemed to have sensed her curious stare, for he stood up abruptly, causing Miyako to turn her gaze away immediately. Without another word, the two of them stepped inside.

***

Moonlight shimmered against through the opaque, blurred window, allowing several beams of silvery light to illuminate the dark room. The strings of light glowed majestically as they gently hit a pair of closed eyes, seemingly accentuating her long, dark eyelashes. Her chest rose slightly as she slept, and her breathing was quiet, short and even. The moonlight intensified, and she stirred; her perfectly shaped eyebrows furrowed she felt the light against her eyes, and she awoke, squinting.

Miyako ran her fingers through her tangled hair and shifted to the left in order to avoid the brightness. Her glowing, russet orbs blinked blankly as she adjusted her vision to the darkness. Judging from the darkness outside, it could be no later than two or three in the morning, yet she felt wide-awake.

Her amber eyes flashed as she heard silent, solid footsteps slowly pass by her room, and her body relaxed as soon as she heard whoever had been outside walk out onto the porch. Miyako reached back behind her head and tightened the knot of her mask as she threw her covers aside; ever since Sasuke had appeared out of nowhere in her room and attempted to remove her mask, she had thought it best to sleep with her mask on, despite it being rather uncomfortable.

Her bare feet touched the cool, rough wooden floor as she stood up, blinking the dryness from her eyes as she reached for the doorknob. Miyako pulled the door open in one swift motion, which prevented the hinges from creaking, and paused briefly before stepping into the pitch-black hallway.

She had barely walked a few feet before she recognized the back of the figure sitting outside along the edges of the porch. Her heart tensed in irritation, but she ignored it and began walking towards him, an action her brain interpreted as bizarre.

It was a good deal cooler outside, especially now that the full moon had risen to its highest extent in the ink-like, starless sky. Sasuke turned his head slowly as he heard her approach him, his charcoal colored eyes blending almost perfectly with the night sky. Surprisingly, he said nothing upon recognizing her, and stared wordlessly at the radiant moon as she sat down a good two or three feet away from him.

The two were silent for several minutes—the wooden clock in the hallway ticked by incessantly—but Miyako felt as if the stillness between them was far from awkward. There was no tension among them, but instead a sense of tranquility.

"Nights like these," Sasuke began quietly, closing his eyes as if trying to erase his thoughts, "remind me of that one night…"

His voice trailed off quietly into the soundless night. Miyako said nothing, but she nodded slightly, aware of the meaning behind his ambiguous statement.

For once, he had not opened their conversation with a crass, foul remark, and for that, some part of Miyako was grateful. Perhaps it was the fact that he was half-awake. Of course, she still abhorred the Uchiha, but the lonesome, abandoned flicker in his clouded eyes seemed to mute the displeasure she normally felt towards him.

Sasuke scoffed softly, his lips twisting upwards into a weary smirk. "It's been nine, ten years… and just from looking at the full moon reminds me of that vivid night. The fact that I'm so much weaker than he is… it sickens me."

"Well, I'm sure you could improve drastically just from replacing the time you insult me with training," she said coolly.

Her voice was soothing, almost melodic. Sasuke chuckled, and for the first time, he turned to face her, his ebony eyes glinting with indifference.

"Tomorrow, then," he said, smirking.

Miyako turned around. Sasuke looked fairly different without his forehead protector; it made him look slightly older.

"Tomorrow…?"

"We'll settle things tomorrow," answered Sasuke, pushing himself backwards and leaning his back against a pillar.

"Tch," she scoffed, rolling her eyes and looking elsewhere. The aggravation towards him was beginning to return. "You Uchihas and your pride… you're challenging me fairly, then? No more tricks?"

The familiar smirk returned. "Of course."

"Then what happens if I win?"

"Impossible," he replied as he shook his head, causing Miyako frown with resentment. Had everyone always underestimated her this much?

"If I win," she said coldly, "you won't say another word about the Tsubaki clan."

Sasuke laughed softly. "Is that all you're asking for? Whereas when _I_ win, you have to succumb to everything I say… seems like a win-win situation for me, especially—" he smirked. "Especially since I'll be the one to emerge victorious, anyway. I do hope you're ready."

"You're the challenger," replied Miyako icily as she stood up, glaring at her teammate in disgust. "Who are you to think I'm unprepared?"

And without another word, she swept away, her black attire disappearing into the darkness of the hallway within an instant. Underneath her mask, her lips were curled into a snarl as she reentered her room with nothing but his spiteful smirk imprinted in her mind.


	4. Defeat

**Chapter 4 : De****feat.**

Golden rays flooded the small room, illuminating the dark silhouette sitting in the corner. Hazel eyes blinked anxiously as the kunoichi realized that both dawn, as well as the inevitable, had arrived.

***

It still required another day to return to Konoha; the mission the team had been assigned to the previous day had been located at the very border of the Hidden Leaf Village. As a result, Kakashi woke them up exceedingly early, and after a quick breakfast, team seven sluggishly began their journey home.

There wasn't a tremendous amount of talking between the shinobi as they leaped from branch to branch, their arms constantly moving as they brushed stray, deep green leaves out of their eyes; most of their conversations consisted of blinking and stifled yawns, which prevented the others from realizing that the tense silence between Sasuke and Miyako was somewhat suspicious.

By late afternoon, Kakashi decided to call it a day, partly because the summer sun had intensified in heat and the attention span of the Genin were becoming more and more lethargic. The steaming sun was still high in the sky as Kakashi ordered the four Genin to collect firewood as he propped himself against the trunk of a pine tree, reading lazily in the shade.

As they gathered the last of the firewood, Sasuke caught Miyako's eyes and indicated that they leave with a curt nod. She did as he suggested, following him away from the campfire, where Kakashi was chuckling at the fact that Sakura had somehow managed to catch three times as many fish as Naruto.

"Ready?" he smirked, turning his head and meeting her eyes, his dark eyes wide with excitement.

Miyako merely nodded. She blinked apprehension and exhaustion from her chestnut eyes.

"Let's see," he mused aloud, his mocking ebony eyes never once leaving hers. "If I manage to remove that mask of yours, I win, mm? If you completely immobilize me, your win... all right?"

She scoffed as she pulled the stray strands of her dark hair into a higher ponytail, brushing the wispy bangs from her gleaming eyes. "Whatever you want, Uchiha."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes as she tightened the mask's knot behind her head. Her mask covered nearly all of her nose, and the edges slanted downwards against her narrow cheekbones. Perhaps the easiest way was simply to attack from the front and pull the cloth down rather than fumble with the knot behind...

Miyako's lips curved into a smirk as she watched him analyze her. The anxiety she had felt moments before had been replaced with a rush of confidence and adrenaline; she could win. Although the Sharingan would most likely pinpoint and predict a good majority of her taijutsu, the one advantage she had was the fact that Sasuke had only recently activated his _kekkei genkai_. Bloodline limits tended to mature with each gradual use, and ever since his first use with his Sharingan eyes a month ago in Land of the Waves, Sasuke hadn't needed to use it since.

At the same time, speed was her primary asset. As a Tsubaki, Miyako was extremely familiar with controlling the chakra system, and as a kunoichi, she was lightweight. As a result, the amount of chakra she was able to send to her legs was close to unlimited.

"Ready?" asked Sasuke again, his lips curling into that familiar, confident smirk. "Then... let's begin."

Several shuriken whizzed towards his face the instant he finished speaking. Sasuke dodged them idly, but the smirk on his lips faltered as he realized that she had vanished between the miniscule amount of time it took for the shuriken to plant themselves in the tree trunk behind him.

His head whipped around as he heard the sound of more shuriken. Sasuke leaped out of the way, hurling a handful of kunai towards the direction the shuriken had come from, only to realize that she had been gone from that spot several seconds ago.

Sasuke bit his lower lip, his dark eyes darting back and forth, flashing at even the slightest hints of movement. Surely he had expected her to be relatively fast, simply because she was a female, but he had predicted it to be merely average. In addition, after he had snuck into her apartment, he had assumed that her speed was nothing to worry about. There was no doubt that Miyako had hid the range at which her speed could reach during the time she was in front of him.

As much as he hated to admit it, Sasuke had greatly underestimated her agility. If he truly wanted to win, he couldn't let her off easy.

Coal-black eyes melted into a perfectly patterned crimson set of Sharingan. His vision acuity increased instantly, and he smirked as he immediately noticed her location. Of course, with the Sharingan, his speed was certainly formidable as well.

He raised his hands and performed several jutsus with his hands in rapid succession. Sasuke tilted his head back, inhaled deeply, and exhaled a tremendously long breath of fire, completely cinching the trees in front of him.

"_Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu_," said Miyako coolly, doubling over in mid-air and landing several feet in front of Sasuke, her hair swaying gently in the light breeze, completely unharmed. "I've already seen it several times... but it seems you've decided to take me seriously now that you've started to use your eyes."

He smirked, and within a blink, disappeared. Miyako tensed, and her coffee eyes were wide with attention as she glanced around, attempting to sense his presence.

She felt something brush against the back of her hair and swung around instantly, swinging her right leg upwards. Sasuke ducked and seized her left wrist, gripping it tightly as his free hand reached at her face.

Miyako reached behind her shoulder and swung something at his face so quickly that he had no choice but to let go. He leapt backwards, only to see Miyako twirling a long, black sheath in her hand, a weapon he had often seen carried on her back, but never yet used. Red eyes narrowed.

"A katana?" he inquired quietly, peering at the sheath as she continued to twirl it skillfully among her fingers. What he saw through his Sharingan indicated otherwise. "No... two kodachi, isn't it?"

She answered his question with a mere smirk. Sasuke chuckled.

"You can't win," he said. "Sure, you might be fast, but these eyes follow all your movements... so quit acting so cocky, Tsubaki."

There was a sound of metal scraping against wood, and Miyako lunged at him. Sasuke's eyes widened significantly as he realized her speed had increased several fold from minutes before, making it more difficult for his Sharingan to follow her movements. His hands performed the _Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu_ steps hastily, and she had no choice but to redirect her path as the gargantuan stream of fire dived towards her.

He recognized the outline of her figure behind the tree to the right of him and threw several kunai with explosive notes towards the branch. The explosion was deafening, and he chuckled as he sensed his success.

There was a shuffling of feet behind him, but before he could turn around, a strong hand wrenched his dominant hand backwards. Sasuke blinked, and recognized the glint of a single kodachi in his peripheral vision, pointed centimeters away from his throat.

"It's over," she said lightly. Her voice was almost melodic.

He merely smirked, and the figure she had so tightly gripped in her hand vanished in a pillar of white smoke. She cursed, giving him credit for being able to prepare a double so quickly, her eyes and ears both alert as she listened for irregular sounds.

Crimson eyes flashed before her, and she barely had enough time to dodge. Miyako thrust the hilt of one kodachi backwards, colliding it with the back of Sasuke's neck and causing him to cough in surprise. Tiny, red droplets splattered the murky dirt below, and she panted slightly, beads of sweat dripping past her forehead as she watched Sasuke wipe the blood from his chin, Sharingan eyes flashing dangerously.

Her kodachi whizzed through the air, meeting his kunai with a clang. Both Genin were attacking mercilessly, making the best use of every opportunity possible.

"Not bad," he sneered, leaning closer to her face as he pushed both her kodachi back. There were still hints of red along the edge of his jawline from where he had spat out blood earlier. "Just not good enough."

"Oh?" she jeered in return, replacing the credence in his eyes with incredulity. "Surely you don't believe this is the fastest I can go, Uchiha."

***

The noise had attracted Sakura, Naruto and Kakashi, all of whom were watching from behind a thick bush several feet away. The three of them were far enough so that the duelers in front of them would not realize their presence as long as they remained still, yet close enough to see the innate details of the fierce battle.

"Miyako-chan's fast," Naruto commented blankly, trying to keep his voice low. He had already been told off multiple times by Sakura to keep his mouth shut. "How come she was never this fast when she was with us, Kakashi-sensei?"

"She was most likely saving it for something like this," he replied calmly, his one, good eye flickering between his two students as they fought, watching the relentless battle carefully in case things got out of hand. "Plus, the Tsubaki clan focuses on chakra control, and directing chakra to your legs increases your speed, obviously. The more chakra you send, the faster you are. Though, of course, there is a limit your legs carry."

"She's never used those swords either," Sakura pointed out, wincing as Sasuke managed to catch her off guard by elbowing her chin.

"They're called kodachi," Kakashi explained. "They're shorter than katanas, but longer than daggers."

"Then who's better?" Naruto asked candidly, turning his bright blue eyes to Kakashi.

Kakashi said nothing. He had clearly been wondering the exact same question the entire time, yet he himself had no idea. At first thought, he would've guaranteed that Sasuke would have the upper hand, but the amount of speed Miyako had hidden from her teammates indubitably surprised him. Even during the mission in the Land of the Waves, she hadn't found it necessary to tap into the reserved amount of chakra regarding speed. For this reason alone, she must've regarded Sasuke as a truly formidable opponent.

***

The sun had nearly set, its blood red, tawny orange and golden rays seeping into the azure sky--hoping, watching, waiting.

It had been nearly an hour since the fight commenced. Both had dirt, sweat, and blood smeared across corners of their faces, yet the fierceness in the two sets of eyes, ebony and russet, continued to glisten. There were too many movements, too many evasions.

Miyako twirled her kodachi dexterously in her hands, gripping the handles tightly as she lunged towards Sasuke once again, concentrating her chakra flow solely on her legs.

Focus, focus, focus, he repeated to himself as he gritted his teeth. He didn't understand how she was evading his attacks, how she was still managing to attack him despite the fact that he could see. Could the Sharingan not follow movements of that prodigious speed?

He strained his eyes, forcing them open even though they had begun to water in protest. He couldn't blink; he couldn't afford losing this one, precious moment.

Suddenly, something changed. Her movements were beginning to slow down. Was she running out of chakra? The Sharingan could sense chakra, and the sizable amount of cobalt surrounding her legs indicated otherwise. He grimaced and continued to strain his eyes, hoping, praying for a miraculous opening of some sort.

Miyako vanished from her path, but this time was different. This time, he could follow her. This time, he could _see_.

Sasuke ducked the second Miyako slashed her twin kodachi at where his head had been moments before. His crimson eyes blazed with attentiveness as he swung his leg upwards and felt it collide against her stomach, sending her flying backwards into a tree so forcefully that the branches shook, and handful of leaves fluttered down where she sat, panting heavily.

Her kodachi. Where was it? Miyako blinked several times, but her vision remained just as blurry and distorted. Her head ached terribly, and she felt a cool, thick liquid ooze down the back of her neck. Her ribs felt broken--cracked, if she was lucky--but her legs were what bothered her the most. Not only was there a gnawing, aching pain within her calves, but they were trembling uncontrollably, which would make further movement exhausting.

Sasuke took a step towards her, causing her to remember her current environment. Miyako lifted her hands from her stomach, eyes darting wildly for her kodachi. Her amber eyes stopped as she located one several feet to her left.

Without another glance at the Uchiha prodigy, she lunged for the handle, gasping in pain as her ribs screamed in protest, praying that her hands would reach her weapon before the Uchiha did.

Her hand stopped mid-air, merely inches away from the hilt. Coffee orbs conveyed the emotions alone; they were wide in incertitude, perplexity, shock.

Miyako flipped her hand over, and something glistened in the dark. She froze.

From a slight distance, they were nothing short of invisible, but the wires were indisputably there. Auburn orbs widened in horror as she turned her head towards her other hand, only to realize it had also been restrained.

"H-how...?" she stammered, her voice faltering as she continued to stare at her hands in disbelief.

Sasuke approached her slowly, his breaths short and ragged. "When I kicked you."

"No," she said, shaking her head in impatience. She winced in pain, and swallowed. "How... how could you read my moves back then?"

She lifted her head, her mind brimming with questions. Hazel met crimson. Her stomach lurched, and she understood.

The Sharingan pattern in his eyes had become much clearer: the dark, curved dots blending perfectly against the pellucid scarlet. The reason was unmissable--his Sharingan had matured yet another level, during only its second use. He had performed the impossible, the unimaginable, an action nothing short of a true Uchiha genius.

A wry smirk appeared, accentuating the thin cut against his bottom lip. Sasuke leaned forwards, squatting down in order to bring his face to level with hers, and the blood-red eyes flickered and faded into black. A hand reached out, and Miyako shivered.

She pulled against the tight strings as his hand came closer to her face, causing the smirk on Sasuke's face to extend.

"A futile attempt," he said softly, watching her struggle uselessly. "It's over, Tsubaki."

The fingers were at the edges of her mask now. An involuntary shudder ran past her spine, and her insides went cold.

"D-don't," she stuttered, leaning back. Her neck throbbed painfully.

He merely scoffed. The ebony eyes flickered wearily; he was clearly drained--there was hardly enough chakra in his system to continue straining his Sharingan.

She felt both his fingers and the cloth trail against her lips. She was scared to think, scared to move, scared to breathe.

Silence. Sasuke pulled the mask away, his jet-black eyes flickering in surprise as he stared at what had been revealed, gripping the black cloth tightly in his left hand.

Her cheeks were flushed from the heat, and tiny streaks of blood littered the corner of her chin. Black hair had come loose from its original ponytail, and the strands tumbled flowingly past her shoulders, blending against her black robes. Miyako sat still, her chest heaving in and out as she breathed painfully. Her brown eyes had dulled significantly--in astonishment, in defeat.

The early hints of moonlight gleamed against her slightly rounded face, accentuating the feminine features Sasuke had never quite noticed before he had removed the mask. Her long, dark eyelashes fluttered as she blinked dazedly, and her crimson lips were slightly open in surprise. Her appearance was more of a mature, young woman rather than a simple teenager, and even Sasuke had to admit that her countenance was exceptionally lovely.

The palm of his hand smoothed against cut cheek, causing yet another shudder to run through her pain-ridden body, despite the warmth of his touch. Sasuke leaned closer, his charcoal eyes glinting with awe.

"Beautiful," he whispered, his fingers continuing to trail along the edges of her soft skin.

And without another moment's hesitation, he leaned in, continuing to glance at her unfamiliar face with half-open eyes, tilted his head slightly, and pressed his lips gently against hers.


	5. White Shadows

**Chapter 5 : White Shadows.**

Quiet, murmuring voices were indisputably there, but the enveloping blackness didn't seem to rescind. The mumbles gradually became louder, as if someone had turned the volume slightly up; eyelids fluttered several times before opening, and then the shadows vanished.

There was a brief flash of pink hair, and Miyako found herself staring blankly into a pair of large, olive orbs. Sakura flashed her a smile of relief.

"Kakashi-sensei!" she called. "She's awake!"

Several pairs of feet shuffled noisily into the room. Miyako heaved herself upwards and gasped in pain; the agonizing discomfort in her ribs and legs reminded her of the unfortunate events that had occurred. All of a sudden, the dead weight in her chest seemed much more irritating than her wounds.

"Ah," Kakashi said, gripping her shoulder and gently pushing her back against the soft, white sheets. "Don't be too rash--it's only been two days, your wounds will open up."

Her delicate fingers shuffled beneath the blanket and located the clean bandages wrapped around her waist. She pressed them gingerly, and flinched.

"Are they broken?" she asked, bringing her arm to her head and rummaging it through her tangled hair.

Kakashi shook his head. "Bruised. Badly, that is. It might be difficult for you to move... at that speed, of course... impressive."

Miyako scoffed and said nothing. Bitterness flooded into her narrowed, coffee eyes. There was nothing spectacular about her speed, especially not after how easily Sasuke had countered it. The weight seemed heavier, causing the sullen feeling to plummet into her stomach.

She hadn't quite registered the consequences of her loss. Sure, she understood the regulations, but the simple comprehension of being defeated seemed distant.

Miyako bit her lower lip, covering her face with her two hands, despite the stinging strain that the stretch put on her wounds. For her, it was impossible to defeat Sasuke a second time. His Sharingan would continue developing, but her speed certainly wouldn't. The amount of effort she had put into working them two days before had already exceeded her normal limit. If he could read her movements now, he would be capable of reading them forever.

Disappointment surged through her aching body, and she scoffed in disbelief. Out of all the shinobi, all the clans, all the people she disliked, it was him. An _Uchiha_. Accepting the concept was bizarre, insufferable, and practically disgusting.

Her hands smoothed past her face, and she felt them brush against her chapped lips. Auburn eyes flashed anxiously, and she turned her head immediately towards Kakashi.

"Where's my mask?" she inquired, her eyes searching the room frantically.

Kakashi sighed deeply, his one, onyx-colored eye flickering uneasily. "He has it."

A pause.

"Tch," she scoffed. "Out of all people... _him_."

There was another seemingly long pause, though it must've lasted for merely a handful of seconds. Kakashi stood up and patted a gloved hand reassuringly against her forehead.

"There's a hot spring a few meters east from here," he said as he headed towards the door. "Why don't you go with Sakura and wash up a bit? As long as you don't strain yourself, it should do your wounds some good. If we depart in an hour or two, we should reach Konoha by dusk."

Miyako sighed heavily, staring fixedly at the ceiling. Tiny white shadows glistened briefly against the dark wood.

***

The two kunoichi walked side by side, their boots shuffling through the thick grass that was coated with the early morning dew. One of Miyako's arms was wrapped across Sakura's neck; Miyako placed her weight gingerly against her teammate's shoulder, hoping to put less of a strain on Sakura, but the pink-haired kunoichi didn't seem like she was struggling to support her.

The beckoning warmth of the hot spring could've been sensed from several feet away. Miyako leaned against a boulder, pressing her cut hands against the warm rock, and relaxed her shoulders. Slowly and carefully, she slid off her dark robes and stepped in, eagerly embracing the amiable warmth. It engulfed her skin soothingly, easing a good deal of her worries away.

She heard a small splash across from her, and her hazel eyes flickered over the misty pillars of steam. Sakura stretched her limbs and leaned her head back against a boulder lazily.

Neither of the two had said a word to each other the entire journey. Miyako lifted her head nervously, racking the back of her mind for a conversation topic. To her surprise, Sakura's glittering, jade eyes were already on her.

"Do I look weird?" she asked, her pink lips parting into a slight smile.

"N-no," stammered Sakura nervously. "It's just... different, that's all."

A few seconds of silence. Slowly, the smile slid off Miyako's face, and her auburn eyes stared elsewhere into the thick steam.

"... I'm sorry."

The two words were spoken so softly that it surprised Sakura, and she raised a worried eyebrow. Miyako determinedly avoided the puzzled emerald orbs.

"For... what happened," she replied awkwardly. Her voice had trailed to a softer tone, and Sakura had to strain forward to listen. "I know you liked him... a lot."

Sakura lifted a hand and waved her apology way, sending tiny, sparkling droplets of warm water into the air. Her light pink lips parted into an anxious smile.

"Oh, that," she laughed nervously, her cheeks flushing. "It's nothing... now that he has you, I mean... well, I can't just take him away from you after all that's happened."

"Why not?"

The details of her encounter with Sasuke two days before returned as she recalled their match, and the idea of drowning herself suddenly seemed quite tempting.

Sakura shook her head slowly; there was a guilty shimmer in her olive eyes. "I've loved him for ages, yet he still has no interest in me." She lifted her head and smiled sadly. "You'll have to learn to love him, I suppose."

The glimmer among the dark chocolate eyes seemed to vanish instantly. Her lips curled into a slight snarl, and her eyebrows furrowed in repugnance, causing Sakura to immediately regret her words.

"Never," she spat.

Another awkward silence followed. Her single-worded retort and tone of voice alone allowed Sakura's interpretation of the enmity in Sasuke and Miyako's relationship to become much more precise.

She heard the sound of water dripping, and the green eyes flickered upwards once more. Miyako sighed heavily and ran a soaking wet hand through her damp, black hair.

"I'm sorry," she said again, opening her eyes, eyes that shone in exhaustion and remorse. "I'll just have to live with it."

***

"Tsubaki."

Miyako turned, her hands running a towel through her damp, straight hair. Despite the fact that she recognized the deep, quiet voice, her aching body stiffened instinctively upon meeting his dark onyx-colored eyes.

She felt something rustle against her arm, and noticed that Sasuke had shoved her mask, which had been washed, into the palm of her right hand. Amber orbs flickered in curiosity, and it suddenly occurred to her that Sasuke's face was incredibly close to hers.

"Wear it from now on," he said just as she opened her mouth to ask.

"... Why?"

He leaned so close to her that his charcoal eyes blocked even her peripheral vision. Sasuke's hand crawled up against the wooden wall she was pressed against, and the beginning hints of a smirk began to appear.

"Because," he whispered slowly, looking down at her amusingly as he noticed her body tense in fear. His soft lips brushed past her cheek, and Miyako suppressed a shudder. "I don't want anyone else looking at what's mine... only I can see your face."

Miyako said nothing. She blinked and looked elsewhere, clearly determined not to meet his eyes. A hand forced her chin upwards almost instantly, and she flinched subconsciously.

"Is that understood?" Sasuke breathed dangerously in her ear.

She swallowed and gave a curt nod. Now that he had claimed her, she found it much more difficult to hurl a string of insults at him.

"It's funny," he said quietly, his smirk widening as he continued to stare into the pool of amber. "You were so headstrong and stubborn before... but now, you're so submissive. The amount of respect you have towards your clan is so respectable... Miyako."

The way he uttered her name and the sarcastic tone he said it with sent shivers of disgust through her body, and she repressed a snarl, through her emotions must've been shown through, for that smirk became even more prominent. He held a strand of wet hair, wrapping it delicately around his finger.

"It's about time, isn't it?" he chuckled. "Say my name."

"Uchiha."

He laughed softly, and leaned even closer so that he had now completely enclosed her personal bubble.

"Do as I say, Miyako."

Her tongue went through some difficulty as she attempted to wrap his name around it. Miyako's hands clenched into fists, and her heart sank in vexation as she realized how utterly pathetic she looked.

"Sasuke," she finally whispered, extremely bitterly.

"Better," he admitted, tilting his head as his lips briefly met hers, causing her eyes to widen. "Just remember that I won you, I own you... and thus, you belong to me. You're futureless without me... so let's just get along, mm?"

Sasuke did not wait for her reply, as caustic as it would've been. He pressed his lips against hers, and she shuddered as he pushed her damp hair back, further immobilizing her. A wave of nausea flooded through her as he continued to kiss her, clearly enjoying her obedience, and it took everything to keep the tiny tears from falling as his contemptuous voice echoed distinctly in her head.

_"I won you, I own you... and thus, you belong to me."_

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
**author's note:**

sorry for the belated update! i've been slightly busy lately... at the same time, i feel the need to apologize for this particular chapter. i know it was somewhat boring, but it'll get better. promise. :D

hope you enjoyed it~ and please r&r! that would be fantastic. :]


	6. Exam

**Chapter 6 : Exam.**

Upon returning to Konoha, Team Seven was almost immediately greeted with the news of the annual Chuunin exam, which was to take place the following weekend. After explaining the general rules, benefits and dangers of the Chuunin exam, Kakashi managed to find his own method in encouraging his team in taking the exam.

"When _I_ was your age," he mused aloud, tapping a gloved finger against his chin thoughtfully. "I was already an ANBU member... I became--"

"--a Chuunin at six, a Jounin at ten, and an ANBU member at thirteen," interrupted Naruto, scowling in impatience as he scratched his head. "We _know_! And all of us already agreed to take the exam, so chill, sensei!"

Miyako and Sakura grinned. The two kunoichi had always relied on Naruto and his never-fading energy to voice their thoughts.

Kakashi chuckled lightly, lifting his forehead protector slightly and rubbing the long scar against his closed left eye.

"Good, because I already nominated you four. You'll be up against several tough opponents, mind you... but I believe I've taught you all well, and that each of you have the potential to become a Chuunin."

The silver-haired Jounin stood up and stretched his limbs lazily. "Head to the Academy on tomorrow morning. You'll receive instructions there... well, no need for me to continue lagging behind with you four on a Friday afternoon... I still have Icha-Icha to read..."

Naruto sighed exasperatedly as Kakashi vanished from view with a casual wave. The team murmured goodbyes to each other, and without another word, departed on separate paths.

***

Miyako cocked her head to one side, her brown eyes widening with interest as she attempted to recognize the group of people standing in the middle of the road.

She would've been able to recognize the flaming orange jumpsuit and blonde hair anywhere on the streets. Sakura stood next to him, along with a handful of kids whose heights that barely reached Naruto's waist. Standing in front of them were two shinobi, all of whom Miyako did not recognize, especially not at such a distance.

Voices increased in volume, and she sped up her pace as she felt the immediate tension. Sakura turned the instant she heard Miyako approach the group.

"Miyako-chan!" she exclaimed, her eyebrows scrunched together in anxiety. "You have to help!"

"What is it?"

She didn't need Sakura's answer. One glance at the situation, and she immediately noticed the symbol of the Hidden Sand Village engraved in the forehead protectors of the strangers. A young kunoichi, roughly her own age, stood to the side of the road, her arms crossed. She was quite attractive, her blonde hair tied back and pink lips tilted in indifference. The other shinobi, a male, was dressed from head to toe in black robes. His eyes were painted with streaks of maroon paint, creating an unusual appearance at first sight. A young boy, who Miyako recognized as Konohamaru, the Third's grandson, was held tightly in the unfamiliar stranger's grip.

"These are Konoha shinobi?" he asked mockingly, causing Konohamaru to flinch in terror. "And none of them can rescue a brat? Pathetic."

He heard a clink of metal, and his black eyes darted towards the kunoichi who had recently arrived. Her hazel eyes were narrow with dislike, and her gloved hand was already at her waist, fingering the hilt of her sword.

"Let him go," she said coolly. "None of us want any trouble."

Before the Sand shinobi could answer, something whizzed towards him so quickly and collided with his hand so forcefully that he dropped Konohamaru, who ran towards Naruto. Several pairs of eyes shot upwards--Sasuke was sitting lazily along a tree branch, twirling a small stone between his fingers.

"What are you bastards doing here?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as he tossed the stone aside, charcoal eyes transfixed on the Sand shinobi.

The Sand ninja lips parted into a furious snarl. "Tch, I hate cocky people like you the most--"

"Kankurou, stop."

The low voice caused the shinobi, both Konoha and Sand, to freeze. Sasuke's eyes flashed with surprise as he noticed a third shinobi, who was hanging upside down from a nearby branch, his arms crossed against his chest. He had short, red hair, along with dark, narrow eyes, and a large gourd of some sort was slung across his back. His strangest attribute, aside from the dark rings that surrounded his eyes, was that character for "love" was tattooed, seemingly, against the side of his forehead. Not a single one of them had sensed his presence.

"You're a disgrace to our village," the red-haired ninja said coldly, glaring menacingly towards his teammate.

"B-but," the ninja called Kankurou stammered nervously, "they started it--"

"Shut up."

Kankurou flinched and ceased speaking immediately. Sasuke raised an eyebrow as the third shinobi vanished from his original position and reappeared on the ground beside his teammates.

"Hey," Sasuke called, disappearing and reappearing beside Miyako's side, his hands tucked lazily into his pockets. "What's your name?"

The blonde kunoichi flushed a light shade of pink, and her eyes sparkled with interest. "Me?"

"No," Sasuke answered, causing her eager smile to fall off her face. "You. With the gourd."

The young shinobi, who couldn't have been older than sixteen, glanced at Sasuke, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"... Gaara. And you?"

Sasuke smirked. "Uchiha Sasuke."

Naruto's lips curled into a frown. "Oi! What about me, eh?!"

Gaara shook his head impatiently and scoffed. "Not interested. Let's go."

And without another word, the three Sand shinobi leaped into the air, heading towards the Academy, and were soon gone from view. Sakura frowned, her olive eyes shimmering with frustration.

"What are they here for?" she asked, her tone laced with dislike.

"Probably the Chuunin exam," answered Miyako smoothly, sheathing her weapon, clearly disappointed at the fact that Sasuke had interrupted an encounter she ought to have cleared up. "We should hurry as well."

Naruto grinned as he was reminded of the upcoming Chuunin exam and punched the air in excitement, causing Miyako and Sakura to chuckle and Sasuke to roll his eyes. Each teammate had their minds so fixed on the exam that none of them, not even Sasuke, were aware of the three hidden shadows lurking behind the tall tree behind them.

***

Having arrived at the Academy, Team Kakashi was informed to head upwards to the third floor in order to continue registration for the first round. Sasuke, possessing the Sharingan, recognized and dispatched the genjutsu surrounding the second floor in an instant, which left Miyako feeling even more useless than during their encounter with the Sand shinobi. Her mood seemed to worsen each and every time another Genin was interested in Sasuke's abilities.

A long dark-haired Genin with white eyes, whom Miyako and everyone else in the hallway recognized as Hyuuga Neji, a ridiculously advanced Genin, approached Sasuke, and soon after, another unfamiliar shinobi even chased Team Kakashi down just to speak with Sasuke.

The Genin was dressed in a solid, green jumpsuit, and he had a bowl-cut hairstyle, along with extremely thick, black eyebrows. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, which was quite thin compared to his opponent's, as the Genin leaped from the stairwell above and landed in front of the group.

"I am Rock Lee," he said clearly, his black eyes narrowed in determination.

"Uchiha Sasuke. What do you want?"

"... A match. I want to test my techniques against an Uchiha. Would you like to fight me right here and right now?"

Miyako and Naruto scowled. Both of them had the same thoughts--it was always, always Sasuke that everyone was interested in.

"And at the same time..."

Rock Lee paused, and his eyes wandered over to Sakura, whose jade eyes blinked blankly. He winked at her, grinning eagerly, causing her jaw to drop in disgust.

"Challenging me despite the fact that you were already familiar with the Uchiha name... I'll teach you what the name means, then," Sasuke answered, his jet-black eyes narrowing.

Miyako's frown deepened underneath her mask, and her eyes flashed with jealousy and disdain.

"We only have half an hour before the meeting begins, Sasuke," she said bitterly, scowling as she said his first name.

Rock Lee turned towards her, his thick eyebrow raised with interest. "Oh? This little lady's worried about you, Uchiha... she even said your first name. Maybe if you took off that mask, you'd be as pretty as Sakura-chan... actually, Sakura-chan is probably prettier."

He blew another kiss at Sakura, who gagged. Sasuke smirked.

"I'll be done in five."

Miyako rolled her eyes, her scowl deepening so much that it shone even through her eyes, and propped herself against the wall. Perhaps watching the match would lighten up her mood...

Sasuke lunged at his opponent so quickly that he was already in front of Rock Lee by the time Miyako blinked. Just as he threw a punch towards him, Lee vanished from view, causing Sasuke's eyes to flash in disbelief. Miyako's eyes widened as she noticed the thick-browed Genin reappear above Sasuke. As impossible as it seemed, Lee's speed was on a higher level than Sasuke's.

Lee thrust a rapid kick at Sasuke's face, catching him off guard and knocking him backwards. Sasuke stood up straightaway, wiping the blood from his chin. He shook his head, and the flashing black orbs were replaced by a pair of crimson Sharingan.

"Sharingan," said Lee, nodding, clearly impressed. "Let's see how those fare against my next move."

"Sasuke-kun's definitely going to win," Sakura said, her jade eyes wide with excitement. "The Sharingan will reveal whatever trick Lee-san used to hit Sasuke-kun earlier."

True as the statement was, Miyako cocked her head to one side in curiosity. Something didn't fit.

Her prediction was clarified when Lee managed to evade a second attack, following with a swift kick to Sasuke's chin, knocking him into the wall with so much force that for a split second, the room shook. And then it clicked.

What Lee had mastered was not ninjutsu or genjutsu, but taijutsu, solid combat skills, itself. Although the Sharingan could read his movements, they were incapable of coercing Sasuke's body to evade such breathtaking speed. Ironically enough, Miyako thought bitterly as a wave of nostalgia washed over her, the match that had occurred a little more than a week ago between her and Sasuke had featured the same scenario. Though, of course, he had managed to read her speed and its movements in the end.

Amber eyes narrowed attentively. Lee's speed was simply incredible, and even his footwork was impeccable. All in all, regarding swiftness alone, he was on a completely different level than Sasuke, as well as herself.

Furious with the fact that he hadn't been able to land a single blow on his opponent, Sasuke lunged towards Lee a third time, his lips curling into a snarl. Sakura let out a small gasp of terror, while Miyako blinked nonchalantly, as Sasuke was thrown backwards once more. Miyako let out an exasperated sigh and shook her head slightly, deciding that it would be more efficient to arrive at the meeting early than watch the same movements repeatedly. The fight was over, and the winner was evident. She had only taken a few steps towards the exit door before hearing Sakura cry out in panic.

While Sasuke was still in mid-air, Lee had miraculously reappeared behind the Uchiha. What technique Lee was about to use, she did not know. All she understood was that inflicting further harm was absurd, and that thought alone was enough to make her legs move as quickly as they did.

Lee had been so transfixed on defeating Sasuke that landing a rapid kick at the side of his face had almost been effortless. There was a sound of two bodies falling against the wooden floor, several grunts of pain, followed by a clink of metal scraping against wood.

The room was completely silent except for the sound of Sasuke's heavy breathing. Lee blinked blankly, staring cluelessly at the tip of a sleek kodachi, which was pointed inches away from his throat.

His ebony eyes widened in disbelief, and he looked up at the kunoichi standing before him. Being able to strike him, even though he was slightly distracted, was nothing short of spectacular. Her sword arm remained perfectly still as she stared down at the Konoha shinobi sitting before her, auburn eyes narrowing coldly.

"The victor was obvious quite some time before," she said icily. "There is no reason for you to continue injuring him."

Lee paused for several seconds, continuing to stare at Miyako incredulously, glancing from her hardened eyes to the menacing tip of her sword.

"May I ask for your name?" he inquired politely. There wasn't a single drop of sweat on him, let alone a wound.

Miyako sheathed her sword. "Tsubaki Miyako."

Lee stood up and brushed the dirt and miniscule debris from his knees. He bowed respectfully, his thick eyebrows furrowing together so determinedly that it looked like one, long unibrow.

"My name is Rock Lee. It is a pleasure to meet you, Miyako-chan... and I apologize for my behavior earlier. I understand your point."

Miyako nodded curtly in acknowledgement, and turned towards Sasuke just as a thunderous voice boomed in the room.

"Lee!"

All five of the Genin in the room jumped. For a split second, it looked as if Lee had suddenly grown in height, and at the same time, grown out his eyebrows. It took Team Kakashi several seconds to register that the tall man, who just so happened to look and dress exactly like Lee, was a separate person.

"What have I said about that technique?!" he yelled, pointing a finger at Lee, who flinched. "It's strictly forbidden!"

Lee cringed as his superior's voice increased dramatically in volume. "B-but... I wasn't planning on using that one..."

"It doesn't matter! Are you ready for your punishment?!"

"What the hell is going on?!" Naruto demanded. "What's up with that... that weird outfit and those super gay-looking eyebrows--"

Lee swung around and raised a fist angrily. "Stop insulting Gai-sensei!"

"LEE!"

Both Lee and Naruto shut up instantly. The older version of Lee approached him quickly, and before any of them could blink, collided his fist against Lee's cheek, sending him flying several feet backwards and leaving dumbfounded expressions on the faces of four Genin.

Gai walked towards Lee once more, but the frown that had been pasted on his face fell. Instead, tears flowed rapidly down his cheeks.

"S-sensei--" stuttered Lee as tears ran down his bruised face as well.

"It's all right, Lee," Gai replied emotionally, patting him on the shoulder. "You don't have to say anything."

"Gai-sensei!"

Lee flung himself into his teacher's arms, practically bawling now, and Gai returned the favor with a bear-crushing hug.

"What... the fuck," Sasuke said slowly, staring in disbelief at the two green jumpsuits as they continued embracing each other.

"You four must be Kakashi's team," Gai said, his voice suddenly coming from behind, causing all four Genin to swing around instantly.

Just as Lee was undoubtedly faster than Sasuke, Gai was clearly quicker than Kakashi, as unbelievable as it seemed.

"You guys should get going," he said, grinning and flashing two rows of blinding white teeth. "Lee, come!"

Lee saluted his sensei immediately. "Hai, Gai-sensei!" He turned to Sasuke. "Sasuke-kun, I entered this exam in order to test my abilities... and I have to say that the strongest Leaf Genin is not me... as a matter of fact, he's my teammate, Hyuuga Neji. Please be prepared during the Chuunin exam!"

And without another glance behind him, Lee leaped up the staircase and disappeared around a corner.

"Wow," Naruto said briskly, scratching his head lazily. "You sure got your ass kicked."

"Shut up," snarled Sasuke.

"Didn't you see his hand?" asked Sakura anxiously. "All those cuts and bruises... he must've trained so hard everyday."

"More than you, at least," added Miyako coolly, raising a wary eyebrow at Sasuke before turning to address her other two teammates. "Naruto-kun, Sakura-chan--go on ahead. I'll treat his wounds."

Naruto grinned at the prospect of being alone with Sakura and the two soon left, leaving the room extremely quiet. Miyako heaved another sigh as she turned to face Sasuke once more, and her gloved hand tilted his chin upwards as she inspected his wound up-close.

"Tch," he scoffed as he brushed her hand away. "I'm fine."

"Don't be rash," she snapped, her angry tone surprising him. Miyako reached into the pouch that hung at her waist and pulled out a tiny tube of ointment and a small, cotton pad. "It's frustrating enough seeing everyone so eager to fight you and only you. Don't make it even worse by showing off."

Amazingly, Sasuke said nothing and turned his face obediently as she cleaned the wound and dabbed the ointment gently against his chin.

"That should do it," she said coolly, returning the ointment to its original pouch. "Let's go, or we'll be late."

"... Thanks."

"Mm?" inquired Miyako, lifting her large, brown orbs towards his face. "Sorry, I didn't quite catch that."

"I said thanks," he mumbled, his coal-black eyes firmly avoiding hers.

"For what, my tirade?"

"No," he fumed, clearly frustrated as he struggled to find the right words. "For... stopping him."

"... Oh. You're welcome, I suppose."

An extremely awkward silence followed, which was only broken when Sasuke mumbled something that sounded vaguely like "let's go." The two Genin exited the room, speeding up their pace as they noticed the time, once again completely unaware of three soundless figures that had arrived in the room moments before.

***

The first round of the Chuunin exam, to Naruto's greatest dismay, was a written exam. Even worse, their instructor was Ibiki Morino, who just so happened to be one of Konoha's interrogators and torturers. By yet another miracle, team seven just so managed to evade Ibiki's intimidating, psychological techniques and, along with seventy-four other Genin, passed the first round.

Due to the overly intimidating environment of the first round as well as the myriad of hazards and risks that were to be present in the second round, the Hokage dismissed the group of Genin who had passed with his congratulations and a few further instructions to the Jounin leaders, who then passed on the information to the students.

"It's mandatory?!"

"Yup," Kakashi said, ruffling his hair lazily. "It's Tanabata, after all... Hokage-sama wants you all to enjoy the festival, the food, the games... whatever it is that you teenagers do these days, at least..."

Naruto's mood suddenly changed, and his azure eyes sparkled excitedly. "Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan! Will you go with me to Tanabata?!"

Miyako caught a glimpse of Sakura glancing longingly at Sasuke before the pink-haired kunoichi agreed to Naruto's eager request with a small smile.

"Only if you pay for everything, Naruto-kun."

Kakashi chuckled, and with curt wave of his hand, walked away from his students, his hands tucked neatly into his pockets. Naruto let out a shout of glee, punching the air energetically, and Sakura's smile widened slightly as she turned towards Miyako.

"Well, since it's mandatory, why don't we get ready at my place?" she offered. "I've got an extra kimono at hand."

"Sure," answered Miyako lightly.

"Do you--" began Sakura. She stopped, and then cleared her throat. "Do you need to clarify anything with... Sasuke-kun?"

"I'm leaving my mask off, whether he likes it or not. Unless, of course, he wants me to wear a kimono that matches it," she added with a roll of her eyes, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"My place then, Miyako-chan?"

"Mm."

The late summer sun was still lingering in the bottom corner of the deep, turquoise sky, and the first stars were beginning to appear. Miyako yawned and ran a hand through her thin, black hair sleepily as she walked beside Sakura along the rows and rows of booths that were being set up for the evening festivities, feeling that the annual evening of the seventh required much more effort than it was worth.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
**author's note:**

ok, another somewhat uninteresting chapter... sooo sorry! :/  
tanabata's obviously going to be something that wasn't in the original story line, so i'm hoping it'll turn out as a much better chapter. :D please, please continue to r&r! xoxo.


	7. Possibilities

**Chapter 7: Possibilities.**

The sun was beginning to set; smudges of yellow, orange, red, and a slight tinge of purple were splattered against the open sky. There were unmistakable hints of summer located all throughout the Village of the Leaf, ranging from the considerably humid zephyrs that blew every minute or so to the increasing number of festivity preparations alongside the main roads.

Miyako ceased walking and turned her head lazily, her eyes flickering calmly as she spotted a tuft of black hair lurking behind a bridge. She paused momentarily before heading towards the semi-concealed figure.

Familiar dark, onyx eyes flashed in displeasure as he noticed her presence, and his lips deepened into a frown.

"What do you want?" he asked bitterly, avoiding her eyes.

There was a brief silence following Sasuke's question. Charcoal eyes glittered as they remained transfixed on nothing but the clear, trickling, river before him. Several minutes passed before the muscles in Sasuke's neck began to twitch in tension.

"What are you—" he began, clearly annoyed with her silence.

"It was today, wasn't it?"

His eyes flashed, in both resentment and surprise. "… What are you talking about?"

"Wasn't it the day of Tanabata? When your clan was exterminated?" she asked coolly, making sure that there was a good distance between the two of them before she sat down.

The Uchiha bit his lower lip frustratingly. "That's none of your business."

Miyako shrugged and leaned back, spreading her hands across the surface of the soft blades of grass. "Frankly, you're overreacting."

Sasuke's eyes widened, and his lips curled into a dangerous snarl. "Overreacting?! What do you know?! My—"

"—clan was completely obliterated by one of your own," she finished lazily, clearly oblivious to his fury. "I know, I know. And just in case you were concentrating too hard on your own plight, let me remind you that I don't have a family either. Neither does Naruto."

Sasuke was so enraged with her answer that it took him a few seconds to speak. "You think we're all the same?! _Everything_ was taken away from me from one of my own! How are you going to compare me to you, whose clan was destroyed by an adversary?! How can you compare me to Naruto, who had no bonds to begin with?!"

"Your _nii-san_, was it? Uchiha Itachi?" she mused aloud, tapping her finger against her chin thoughtfully.

"… Say his name again, and I'll kill you," he said softly.

Miyako raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow, opened her mouth to retort, decided against it, and instead heaved a deep sigh.

"Don't sigh at me—"

"Why don't you just surpass him, then?," she interrupted, shooting such an aggravated glare at him that he ceased talking. "Being depressed, moping around, wallowing in your own selfishness when you could be focusing on defeating him… what you are now is pathetic, Uchiha Sasuke. If you don't learn to change, to make an actual _difference_, then to you, Tanabata will _always_ be the day where you lost everything. Is that what you want?"

Miyako stood up, her boots trailing gently against the swaying blades of grass. Sasuke's lips pursed together furiously as he digested her words, causing her to heave another exasperated sigh, turning to leave.

"I'll see you tonight, Sasuke."

Which left him feeling extremely stupid. He heard the sound of her departure despite the fact that his eyes were still focused on the flowing river in front of him. Her sharp remarks, obstinate as they were, made all the sense they had intended to make. His heart sank in disappointment, and at the same time, fluttered in dissatisfaction. The way she had said his name had caused his stomach to lurch—whether it was in annoyance or in some sort of bizarre hope, he could not tell.

***

"Why do we have to go to this stupid event anyway?"

Naruto turned around, tilting his body back and forth as he bounced against the balls of his feet. He was dressed in a loose, khaki-colored yukata, which trailed all the way to his thin ankles. His pronounced, flaming blonde hair seemed subtler now that he had removed his forehead protector, and a huge grin formed as he noticed the deep scowl on his teammate's face.

"Want us to leave you alone with Miyako-chan during the fireworks tonight, Sasuke?" jeered Naruto.

Sasuke snorted and rolled his eyes. Like Naruto, he had also removed his forehead protector and was dressed similarly in the traditional yukata, though Sasuke's was a shade of dark blue. The fact that neither of them was wearing their usual training clothes made the two shinobi appear much older, mature, and at the same time, like ordinary teenagers.

The sky had blackened considerably during the past hour. Though the moon was still far away from its normal peak in the ink-like atmosphere, faint, silvery beams of light fluttered every few seconds or so. The lanterns were being lit, filling the environment with a much more cordial presence, as the jittery expressions and enthusiastic preparations could be heard from a distance. Konoha had always ensured that every year's Tanabata was prearranged flawlessly, and this year was no exception.

"Oi! Naruto-kun! Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke groaned upon hearing the familiar voice, and a wave of aggravation immediately flooded through him. Naruto, however, waved to the blonde kunoichi as she approached the two young men.

Ino was dressed in a radiant pink kimono, and the thinness of her waist was accentuated by a thin, white obi. Her blonde hair had been released from its usual, tight ponytail, and the gentle strands reached all the way past her waist, all in all leaving her looking very attractive indeed. She approached Sasuke at once, fluttering her long, mascara-coated eyelashes flirtatiously.

"Sasuke-kun," she cooed, her red lips pursing together as she blew him an air kiss. "You look dashing, as always."

He grunted in thanks, which was more than the usual response Ino received normally, and she let out a squeal of delight.

"Sasuke's here with someone today," Naruto said, shooting Sasuke a huge grin, "so I'm afraid you're going to have to back off a bit tonight, Ino-chan."

Ino gasped in horror. "Is it Sakura?!"

Naruto's grin seemed to lengthen tenfold. "Of course not—Sakura-chan's coming with me!"

Ino let out a small sigh of relief, though her thin eyebrows were still furrowed together in thought. "Then who? You two aren't around any other girls… it can't be the Tsubaki girl—she's too plain, with that mask of hers and all—"

"We're here," a familiar sing-song voice called, cutting Ino off from finishing her sentence.

Sakura approached the group first—her long, pink hair was tied back in an elegant bun, pinned together at the top of her head with a pair of jeweled chopsticks. She was wearing a crimson kimono, tied together with a scarlet obi, all of which matched her pink hair extremely well. Naruto stared at her, clearly dumbfounded and lost for words, and even Sasuke had to admit that Sakura looked quite… cute when dolled up.

"Sorry we're late," another voice said breathlessly from behind Sakura.

Sasuke snorted again. "Damn right you're late… hurry up, let's get this thing over with already."

Ino frowned slightly and folded her arms as she recognized the voice. "So it _was_ you, Tsubaki… how you managed to land an unbelievably attractive person like Sasuke-kun, I don't know, but you would have the nerve to make him wait… holy—"

Miyako hurried forward into the light, panting heavily. It was obvious that she seldom wore such clothing, and the tight kimono she was wearing was undoubtedly restraining her movements. Sasuke turned around, curious at why Ino had so suddenly ceased speaking, and instantaneously found himself lost for words.

The dim, golden beams from the few lanterns hanging loosely above the teenagers fell lightly against her shining amber eyes. There were tinges of white flowers sewn onto the surface of her silky, ocean blue kimono, which matched Sasuke's yukata color flawlessly. Silky, ebony strands had been in a stylish side bun, which had undoubtedly been arranged by Sakura, and cocoa-colored eyeliner lined the rims of her large eyes, greatly highlighting her hazel orbs. Compared to the plain, black robes she normally wore to training sessions and the mask she tied so tightly to conceal her image, the young woman who stood in front of them was nothing short of stunning.

Miyako's cheeks were flushed a light pink from the heat and from struggling to catch up with Sakura, and the rosy color deepened as she noticed the immediate silence. It was abnormal for her to reveal her face in public, and without her mask, she felt extensively revealed. Lengthy, black eyelashes fluttered awkwardly as she looked elsewhere.

"Wow," whistled Naruto, his navy eyes wide with surprise. "You look nice, Miyako-chan."

"Thanks," she replied, clearly grateful that someone had broken the silence. "It was all Sakura-chan's work, of course."

Ino's jaw had dropped a considerable amount, and she arched a blonde eyebrow—the look on her face made it obvious that there was no doubt that the lovely female standing in front of her was the same, masked kunoichi she had glimpsed alongside Naruto and Sasuke so often. Sakura smirked.

"Jealous, Ino?" she asked, her emerald eyes glittering. "Didn't get to snatch Sasuke-kun from me this time, mm?"

Ino scoffed and rolled her eyes in disgust. "Tch, what are you talking about? You didn't get him either."

"At least I have a date," snickered Sakura.

Ino opened her pink lips in an effort to retort, but then shut them before marching away in frustration, leaving Sakura with a very satisfied smirk.

"Let's go, then," said Naruto, clapping his hands together excitedly before offering Sakura his arm.

"Aren't you going to offer me your arm?" asked Miyako, sniggering.

"You know neither of us want this," he said irritably as the two of them followed Naruto's lead.

"… Is something the matter?"

Sasuke scowled. "Of course not."

Miyako raised an eyebrow and leaned closer to Sasuke's pale face, causing him to stiffen almost instantly. He turned his head hastily in an effort to avoid her probing, chocolate eyes.

"Huh," said Miyako coldly as she walked further ahead, greatly lengthening the gap between the two of them. "If you abhor me so much that you won't even face me, then you should've just gone on ahead with Ino-chan—"

"What are you—" he began.

"Because I can assure you that the feeling is mutual," she snarled impatiently. Her cheeks had flushed into a light, crimson color from both the heat and the indignation that shone through her sour expression, and loose strands of sea-black hair had fallen from its original bun.

Sasuke watched her disappear around a corner, and a surge of guilt rippled through him, joining the considerable amount of chagrin that had accumulated seconds before. He couldn't comprehend the reason behind his irascibility—perhaps it was the fact that the entire festival was a mandatory waste of time, or that tonight was the anniversary of his clan's extermination, or that Miyako had the nerve to appear in public, in front of other men at that, without wearing her usual disguise—

He ceased walking instantly and shook his head unconsciously. These possibilities were illusions; there was indubitably no such thing.

***

"Bye, Sakura-chan! I'll come find you when the fireworks start!"

The attractive, green-eyed kunoichi smiled and waved amiably before turning to join the dark-haired young woman, who had been setting off tiny firecrackers with a relatively large group of Genin—Sasuke recognized the genius rookie, Hyuga Neji, along with Lee, Kiba and a handful of other young who were undeniably also participating in the Chuunin exams. Coal-black eyes flickered unconsciously back to the young Tsubaki, and they shimmered in an indescribable emotion as he watched her lips part into a wide smile, revealing two rows of straight, white teeth, as she laughed alongside the other carefree shinobi. Her hazel eyes twinkled in a blissfulness that was never present when he was with her, and for that reason alone, Sasuke couldn't seem to take his eyes off her.

"Can't stop staring at her, eh?" Naruto snickered, his cobalt eyes gleaming as he teased his teammate. "Is that why you tried so hard not to look at her when she was right next to you?"

Sasuke blinked and immediately looked elsewhere. "Shut up, Naruto. Don't be senseless."

Naruto raised a skeptic eyebrow. "Your eyes have been glued to her the entire time. Why aren't you two together anyway?"

"Because neither of us like the other," he snapped. The impatience was beginning to swell inside him once more.

The blonde-haired Genin tutted loudly, shaking his head as he did so. Sasuke's scowl deepened, and he turned his head back in order to continue watching his peers, only to realize that the ocean-blue kimono had disappeared.

Sasuke blinked, and the charcoal eyes flickered from the rows and rows of people, searching for the familiar ebony hair and glittering chocolate eyes. Without thinking, Sasuke stood up, causing Naruto to turn his head in question.

"Bathroom," Sasuke said hastily, shuffling away into the crowd as soon as he could in order to avoid any further questions.

The noise level intensified sizably as he entered the gargantuan multitude of Konoha villagers, coercing him to push his way further back until he caught a hint of thick, black eyebrows—missing such an attribute was simply unfeasible.

"Lee!" he called briskly.

"Ah, Sasuke-kun! Good to see you here! I wanted to apologize for—"

"Never mind that," Sasuke interrupted snappishly. "Have you seen Tsubaki?"

"Miyako-chan? Are you here with her?" asked Lee curiously. There were faint hints of a smirk against his lips.

"Yeah, sure," retorted Sasuke, irked at the fact that he hadn't received the straightforward answer he had expected. "Where did she go?"

"She said she was going to cool off," answered Lee, shrugging. "You should check the booths up ahead—maybe she's over there."

Sasuke nodded curtly in thanks, ignoring the bundle of anxiety that had tied his stomach into knots. Nothing made sense to him—he had looked away for merely a second and she had vanished from his sight—it wasn't as if she had been missing for hours. There was obviously nothing worth worrying about.

Sasuke stumbled through a vast number of ecstatic people with much difficulty before reaching a fork at the end of the road, both of which lead into narrow, dimly-lit alleyways. He was about to turn towards the right pathway before he heard several deep murmurs from the opposite alley.

"Why didn't you pick the pink-haired one out? She was pretty cute."

"Yeah, why didn't you?" a familiar voice echoed sarcastically.

Sasuke froze. The voice unquestionably belonged to Miyako, but he was unsure of who the others were.

"She had a date with her, didn't you see?" another rough voice answered. "You two can leave—I saw a blonde chick that was walking around alone earlier, so you guys can go find her. I haven't seen this cutie around here anyway… are you from outside of Konoha, sweet? Wanna go grab a drink while you're here?"

Obsidian eyes narrowed dangerously. Sasuke pressed himself against the shadowed wall, and his right hand fingered the handle of a sleek kunai he had stashed inside his yukata.

He counted three males, all dressed in yukata, and a shorter figure who was indisputably the teammate he had been searching for. Two of them departed from the alleyway without looking twice at the silent figure standing a mere few feet before their exit. Sasuke twirled the kunai dexterously between his fingers, grateful for the fact that his impatience wasn't present at a time like this.

The tallest male, a shinobi who had short, dirty blonde hair and deep green eyes that gleamed with amusement, leaned closer to Miyako's face, emboldened by her silence. Sasuke's lips curled into a snarl, yet he managed to refrain himself from revealing himself, as difficult as it was. He craned his neck forwards, itching to hear the quiet mumbles that were being exchanged between the two of them.

"What do you say, mm?"

"I already declined," she replied icily, unbothered by the towering height of the male in front of her.

"Don't act so haughty," he jeered, seizing her wrist and tugging her deeper into the alleyway. "You came here dateless anyway, didn't you? There's nothing you need to—"

A foot collided with the bottom of the male's chin so quickly that Miyako stumbled backwards, her chestnut eyes wide with astonishment. Sasuke was glaring menacingly at the unconscious figure lying face-flat on the dusty ground before him.

"Pathetic," he scoffed, slipping the unused kunai back into his yukata before he turned to face Miyako. "What the hell are you doing with him anyway?"

"It's none of your business," she replied coolly, amber eyes hardening at his tone of voice.

"He wasn't about to take you out for a drink, in case you're that dense."

"I could've handled him myself," snapped Miyako.

He slammed a hand into the wall that stood behind her, causing her to flinch.

"If you had listened to me and kept your mask on, none of this would've happened," he whispered dangerously.

Audacity gleamed in her round, brown eyes as she faced him, her cheeks flushed in fury. "_Don't_ tell me what I should do, Uchiha, especially since it was you who wouldn't look twice at me in the first place, and—"

Sasuke had just realized how close their faces were to each other as well as how shady the alleyway really was. Even in the dark, he could see the details of her face so clearly—had her eyes always been that piercing? Her skin that radiantly tan? Her lips shimmered a glossy, nude color—must've been Sakura's doing—they were curved upside down in a frown as she continued her harangue, it wasn't like he was listening anyway…

"—why everyone sees something fascinating in you, I have no idea, though the last time someone did, you got your ass handed to you… are you even listening—"

Sasuke leaned forward so swiftly that the thought of what he was doing hadn't registered in his mind until he felt their lips meet. Whether he did it just to shut her up or satisfy that innate desire that had been crawling up in him since the moment he had laid eyes on her that night, or a bit of both, he did not know.

He tasted the momentary sweetness of her lip gloss, and the scent of her lightly perfumed hair suddenly heightened his craving for something more. He kissed her deeply for several more seconds; Sasuke's hands reached into her hair—he had no idea when that had happened—pulling the hair tie away and running his fingers through the thin layers of wispy waves.

Miyako felt the cold stone wall press against the back of her silky kimono as Sasuke leaned his weight gingerly against her. Her brown eyes had widened with disbelief the second he had kissed her, but she forced her shoulders to relax, and did not struggle.

He broke off the kiss, leaving both of them breathless, and leaned merely a few centimeters from her face. Jet-black eyes darted elsewhere, and even in the dark, it was evident to anyone that his cheeks had deepened in color.

"Sorry," he muttered hastily, gently pushing her shoulders as he turned his head, avoiding her inquisitive eyes. "I didn't know—"

Miyako grabbed his wrist lightly, and he found himself staring wordlessly into those coffee-colored eyes that were glistening with both suspicion and curiosity.

"Why—" she began, tightening the hold on his wrist as he tried to pull away.

"Because… I don't know," he said hurriedly, struggling to find some excuse.

Sasuke caught a whiff of her floral-like perfume, and the intrinsic craving to hold her began to resurface. Burning with impatience and anxiety, he yanked his hand forcefully from her grasp, causing her to unexpectedly lose her footing.

He caught her instinctively, his dark eyes flashing in slight surprise as she fell awkwardly against him. Certain that Miyako was going to snap at his rashness, Sasuke opened his mouth to apologize, then realized that apologizing and stuttering wasn't in his nature, so nothing came out. She stared at him silently—the incredulity had disappeared from her eyes—and he did what his mind instructed him to do, and that was to quench the bubbling aggravation he had been experiencing all evening, to embrace the priceless opportunity chance had granted him, and to satiate his absurd hunger for her presence. Sasuke leaned closer to her face, and when she did not budge, brushed his warm lips against hers, welcoming the sweet pleasure that flooded through him as he felt her soft lips part and slowly return his kisses.

The vibrant and glimmering fireworks began to explode in the distance, miles and miles above the starless evening sky, its shadows concealing the two hidden figures in the alleyway below and unveiling a new foundation of possibilities.

* * *

**author's note:**

so i must apologize for the extremely belated chapter--i had some trouble getting my hands on a personal computer over the past couple of weeks, but now that i do have one, updates will hopefully be more frequent!

oh, and i have to say that i actually have no idea when the uchiha clan really was annihilated--i highly doubt that it actually did occur on tanabata evening... just throwing that out there, haha. :D

on another note, i am trying my best to avoid making miyako into a mary-sue character. i do intend for speed to be her most imperative attribute in combat, but it's nowhere near sasuke's or lee's speed at their current genin level--that's a rank of speed she develops only after the three years (before shippuden starts!).

i hope this chapter was enjoyable! as always, please read & review--it's always a lot of fun reading them. :)  
xoxo.


	8. Endless

**Chapter 8: Endless. **

"It's so early…"

Miyako suppressed her umpteenth yawn as she walked alongside Naruto, whose messy hair and half-open eyes made it seem like he was sleepwalking, towards the entrance to the forest at which the second exam was to commence.

"Did you two come back late last night?" asked Miyako, tightening the mask against her face as she blinked out the minuscule tears from her previous yawn.

"Nah," replied Naruto, shoving his hands lazily into his pockets. "We left right after the fireworks… we walked around for about a half hour looking for you two, though." He grinned. "What were you guys up to, mm? You definitely weren't back in your apartment—I passed your place and your lights were still out."

"We got lost," she mumbled anxiously before clearing her throat.

Naruto smirked, but refrained from asking for further details, an action that Miyako was entirely grateful for.

Sasuke and Sakura had arrived only moments before—Sakura was sitting sleepily against a tree, her emerald eyes only flickering with liveliness when she noticed the remaining members of her team arrive. Sasuke was leaning against the opposite side of the tree trunk, his arms folded lazily across his chest as he stared, transfixed, at the clear, seemingly gray sky. His nodded curtly as he noticed their arrival, his dark eyes keen on avoiding hers.

"Time to become Chuunin!" Naruto said brightly, eagerly leading the way. He turned to Sasuke and grinned. "You had better not hold us back, Sasuke!"

Sasuke scoffed. "Look who's talking… how many times have I killed you in just about everything at the Academy again?"

Miyako smiled as Sakura rolled her olive eyes exasperatedly as the two boys began quarreling with one another. The relief she felt from the once heavy weight pressing against her chest had lightened considerably since the previous night, and that acquiring that feeling alone seemed to increase her confidence in team seven's abilities.

***

"Shit, why is it so dark in here?" Naruto asked, crouching down as he pushed several branches aside.

Even Sasuke had to acknowledge the fact that the near pitch-black environment and the faint cicada sounds made the forest somewhat eerie. All teams had been instructed to head towards the tower located at the center of the forest, which was all in all a distance of roughly ten kilometers. Of course, if they waited a few more hours, the sun would be high enough to illuminate a good majority of the woods, but judging from the number of contracts their intimidating proctor, Anko, made them sign, the Genin couldn't possibly consider waiting as an option.

"I have to pee," Naruto said blatantly, scratching his head awkwardly. Sakura frowned at him, and he laughed nervously. "I'll be right back."

The rest of group blinked blankly as they heard Naruto shuffle away through a handful of bushes; there was clearly no point in covering any more distance without their fourth member.

"All right, let's go!" said Naruto as he emerged into view, his vibrant hair visible from several feet away.

Miyako simply stifled a surfacing yawn as she turned to continue walking alongside Sakura. Suddenly, out of her peripheral vision, she noticed Sasuke disappear and reappear in a split second before his fist collided with the side of Naruto's face, sending the blonde Genin flying into the nearest tree.

"Oi, what the hell are you doing?!" Naruto shouted as he stood up, wiping a slight trickle of blood from his chin.

"Where's the real Naruto?" Sasuke snarled, drawing a sharp kunai from his waist.

"What are you talking about?" Miyako asked slowly, walking towards Sasuke. "Are you saying—"

Sasuke held up a hand to silence her, though he kept his piercing eyes on Naruto. "Your shuriken holster is on the left side and Naruto's right-handed, and you don't have that scar that the proctor put on your face. You're even worse than he is at transforming."

Miyako's hand flew towards the pouch at her waist the instant she noticed the puff of white smoke. An unfamiliar shinobi lunged forwards, and Miyako caught a glimpse of a tuft of messy black hair and some sort of complicated masked device before he disappeared.

"He's going towards Sakura!" shouted Sasuke, whirling around immediately. His obsidian eyes had been replaced by a shade of brilliant crimson.

"Shit," Miyako cursed, tightening the grip against her kunai as she leapt in front of Sakura.

"Which one of you has the scroll?!" he demanded.

Miyako hurled the kunai towards the culprit, causing him to change course instantly. Sasuke reappeared from out of nowhere, his fingers rapidly performing seals before a sea of fire enveloped the ground in front of them. Amber eyes darted upwards, and she unsheathed her set of kodachi rapidly as their enemy charged at Sasuke, who was several meters away from where she and Sakura were.

There was the sound of an explosion, and she saw the opponent reappear materialize right behind Sasuke, a kunai pointed centimeters away from his throat.

"Hand it over," he ordered.

Miyako flung one kodachi as swiftly as she could, praying that the weapon would reach in time, but she had no reason to worry. Naruto had joined the battle, and though Miyako's kodachi had already caused their enemy to leap out of the way, Naruto's kunai coerced him to change course a second time.

"I got it!" Sasuke shouted from afar.

He flicked his wrist skillfully, sending a single kunai flying at his foe before receding from view and then appearing directly in front of him. Sakura cringed as she noticed the thick string of blood pouring from the attacker's shoulder. The shinobi scowled and increased his speed, his eyes flashing with anger before he bolted deeper into the forest.

"He got away," Sasuke panted as he approached the rest of his team. "Listen, keep your eyes out—if we really do hesitate for even a second, we'll be dead. This isn't a joke."

"Then what do we do?" asked Sakura hesitantly.

"A code," replied Sasuke, lowering his voice. His eyes continued to flicker with an alertness none of them had ever noticed. "And memorize it, fast."

***

Miyako groaned, squinting her eyes as the debris cleared from sight. The explosion had been unexpected as well as deafening, and there was still a slight ringing in her ears. Her hands had been so tightly gripped against the hilt of her swords that she could feel blisters forming against the palm of her hands, despite the fact that she had been wearing gloves in order to handle her weapons more effectively.

"Miyako, Sakura, say the code," Sasuke called out, whipping out several kunai just in case they were needed.

The two kunoichi recited the nin song almost effortlessly, which was surprising due to the number of branches and stones that had collided against their heads seconds before.

There was a rustling of leaves from behind, and the three young Genin leapt backwards instantly, both of them alert and armed.

"Easy, easy, it's just me," Naruto grumbled, rubbing the back of his head.

"Say the code," said Sasuke.

Naruto recited it just as flawlessly. Having been fooled once already, Miyako was not surprised when Sasuke hurled his kunai at the disguised Naruto.

"Hmm," a low voice sneered from behind the cloud of white smoke as the fake Naruto faded from view. "Impressive… how'd you know this time?"

"Naruto would've never been able to memorize something that long," Sasuke answered simply, his charcoal eyes narrowing.

Right on cue, Naruto stumbled out from behind the trees, covered head to toe in some dust, branches, leaves and some sort of brown slime. Miyako and Sakura heard him mutter a spew of obscenities in addition to something about a "huge-ass snake."

Their opponent wasn't the same from before—this one was substantially taller, with long, straight black hair. After a short, inner debate over whether the shinobi standing in front of them was a male or a female, Miyako realized that it was the same exam contestant that had revealed his abnormally long tongue to all the Chuunin exam participants shortly before the round commenced.

"You want the earth scroll, am I right?" he snickered, tossing his scroll into the air and catching it lazily.

His tongue was lengthening as he spoke. Team Kakashi simply stood there, staring with dumbfounded expressions on their faces, as they watched the long-haired shinobi wrap his bizarre tongue several times around it before swallowing the entire thing.

"Let's begin, then," he said coaxingly, licking his lips delicately.

He looked up, and immediately, just as Miyako noticed how fearfully piercing his golden eyes were, it felt as if she had been completely submerged in frigid, bone-chilling water. The muscles in her body seemed to have lost all will to move, despite the screaming tension in them, and her legs began trembling uncontrollably. Beads of cold sweat trickled down her neck, and she shuddered wildly, her frozen, coffee eyes staring dazedly into the gleaming, golden ones.

There was a sudden flash of white, and she saw two kunai streaking across, one headed towards Sasuke and the other towards Sakura. Out of her peripheral vision, Miyako saw the weapons land against the center of their faces, and then there was a sea of red, followed by the sound of two lifeless thuds against the ground. She heard her teeth chatter before the heightened fear transformed into a wave of nausea, causing her ankles to go weak and collapse.

She was panting heavily, still shuddering from the imaginary cold, and her legs continued to quiver even as she sat down. Miyako blinked, and the pool of scarlet disappeared. She heard short, ragged breaths from both Naruto and Sasuke, who had undoubtedly envisioned the same scene, and Sakura let out a painful sob.

It was evident that the image they had just seen was by no means a technique due to genjutsu, but instead by an extreme killing intent, and that alone. Her instinct instructed her to run, but now that the tingling feeling in her arms and legs had evaporated, she felt nothing but numbness surround her system, leaving her entirely immobilized.

The shinobi standing before them smirked, his eyes glowing like golden ingots as he brought out three kunai and began twirling them idly between his fingers.

"Scared already, mm?" he taunted, his eyes dancing maliciously as he approached them slowly. "I'll just make that vision turn into a reality then, shall I?"

So much fear had flooded through her body that she could feel absolutely nothing more. How was it possible that someone in the Chuunin exam could consist of so much power that one mere glance was enough to paralyze people? Such a tactic exceeded the abilities of Jounin—unlike the shinobi that had attacked them before, this one was completely out of their range.

With another smirk and a lazy flick of his wrist, the adversary thrust the weapons at each of the frozen Genin. Amber eyes widened in terror—this wasn't another scene of the imagination, this was reality, and if she didn't move—the weapon was already inches away from her eyes—

Two trembling, but strong arms seized Miyako, knocking her out of the original path of the kunai. The grip around her waist tightened, and it took a few seconds for her to register that they were heading for higher ground at a blurring speed.

She barely felt her feet touch ground—her legs were still shaking at a terrible rate. The next thing she knew, her vision consisted of nothing but a pair of frantic, black eyes.

"Y-Your leg," she stammered, pointing a trembling finger at the small puddle of red that had flowed from his injured thigh.

Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed together in concentration as he observed the kunai in his wound briefly before yanking it out. He gasped in pain, but shook his head the instant he saw her reach for the bandages in the pouch at her waist.

"No time," he muttered through gritted teeth, applying pressure to his wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding. "You saw… you saw what he can do. This is no ordinary Genin—this guy isn't going to just beat the shit out of us to get our scroll, he'll fucking _kill_ us. We've got to leave… we have to give it up."

The crazed frenzy in his crimson eyes made it clear that Sasuke wasn't joking about surrendering. Miyako grasped his arm tightly—she was indisputably still struggling to regain control over the fear they had encountered moments earlier.

"Where are Naruto and Sakura?"

"They're fine," he answered hurriedly, though the distressed blinking of his eyes indicated that he was praying his words were true. "Naruto has a lot of chakra—something like that wouldn't have kept him for long."

"Sasuke—"

"Shut up," he answered, turning his head, paranoia flashing in his wide eyes. "He'll find us—"

"No shit," snapped Miyako. Her voice trembled less than it had before but there was still a hint of terror among the shaky confidence.

Sasuke felt her grip on his arm release and whirled around just as the sound of several shuriken whiz through the piercingly silent air, only to find himself face-to-face with a writhing, gargantuan snake. It hissed furiously, thrashing its tail around so ferociously that it shook the ground below them. Miyako's shuriken had drawn a few streaks of blood from the slithering reptile, but its colossal size allowed it to recuperate in a matter of minutes.

"Mm, you guys shouldn't let down your guards for even a second," a familiar voice jeered before reappearing on top of the snake. "Otherwise, you'll just… die."

An ear-splitting hiss followed the shinobi's words, causing several heads to turn. Naruto was standing against the surface of a high branch, his arms folded across his chest, a grin pasted against face.

Out of the corner of her eye, Miyako saw Sharingan eyes fade into a pool of sea-black. Sasuke reached into his robes and withdrew the team's scroll.

"You can have it," he said, slowly inching forward against the sturdy tree branch he was standing on.

***

"Not too shabby for someone without a _kekki genkai_…"

The grip around her throat tightened, choking her. Miyako's neck arched slightly backwards, and she struggled to maintain her consciousness as the vision of his spiteful sneer began to blur.

She swung a kodachi against his throat, desperately trying to loosen his grasp, but to no avail. The malice in his golden eyes glistened as he knocked her weapon out of her hand almost lazily.

"I know you're upset, dear," he breathed in her ear, "but I have to break the news to you that it isn't you I'm interested in…"

The mask was preventing her from getting the little air she was already receiving. Miyako felt his warm fingers intertwine against hers, and the same sensation of repugnance surged through her stomach as she stared into his captivating golden eyes and twisted smirk.

"You put up an impressive fight though," he snickered as he loosened his hold around her throat, "especially for a nobody. Don't worry though, I won't kill any of you, just having a bit of fun…"

Sasuke cursed—his body continued to tremble from the blow he had received earlier. His back ached terribly from being knocked into a thick tree trunk, and his eyes flickered from between ebony and red—the Sharingan consumed a good majority of his chakra, and there was no question that he was reaching his limit. from A myriad of cuts and bruises littered the handsome Uchiha's face, and he flinched as he tried to stand. There was the sound of an unpleasant snap, and it was followed immediately by a painful scream, which echoed prominently through the forest. Sasuke's head shot up instantly, his crimson eyes flashing wildly—with exhaustion, panic, and terror.

Despite his low chakra level, his legs covered the distance to his Miyako much more swiftly than he had expected.

Sharingan eyes flashing lividly, Sasuke swung his right leg towards his opponent's face so quickly that the shinobi barely had time to evade it. He stopped in front of Miyako, his hands outstretched as if that action alone would be able to prevent her from any further harm.

"Don't touch her," he snarled, causing the shinobi's eyebrow to rise in question.

Sasuke took a quick, backwards glance at her. Miyako was still standing, at least, though her face was white with perspiration and fatigue. A thin trail of incarnadine liquid seeped from the corners of her mask and past her chin, and she was clutching her left hand tightly, her eyebrows furrowed together in pain.

"Stay back," he said quietly, whipping out several large shuriken as he turned around to face their enemy once more.

Sasuke lunged forwards, his perfectly-patterned orbs blazing with fury and concentration as he strained them in an attempt to read his opponent's movements. His enemy was swift, there was no doubt about that, but a familiar surge of confidence flowed through the Uchiha prodigy—those steps were growing more predictable.

He flung an average-sized shuriken towards the long-haired shinobi so quickly that it hurtled through several falling leaves with much ease. Golden eyes widened in surprise, but the shinobi's supreme agility allowed him to leap upwards. Sasuke smirked. Perfect.

The black-haired Genin hurled two kunai flawlessly in his foe's direction—a small, blue flame of chakra surrounded his weapons, a hue that only Sasuke could perceive. They planted themselves in the tree behind the shinobi, whose eyes flashed in surprise.

"Strings…?" he muttered in disbelief. "This is… _Sharingan Sofuusha Sannotachi_!"

A flood of reassurance surged through Miyako's aching body as she watched Sasuke complete his impeccable triple-blade technique. She had ripped off a portion of her black robes, using it as a splint by tying it tightly around her left wrist, though her wide eyes never left the battle before her.

"Tch, too bad," the shinobi sneered. His long tongue flickered wrapped around a sharp kunai, which glinted in the dim sunlight.

Sasuke smirked. His fingers were already performing the well-known hand formations.

"_Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu_!"

The streak of fire shot towards the shinobi so fast that he had barely any time to react, colliding directly with his face. Miyako flinched at the gruesome sight, but at the same time, breathed with ease. It was over.

There was nothing but the sound of crackling fire and the smell of burnt skin. Miyako coerced her legs into standing still, and then leaped over towards where Sasuke was standing, her right hand still tightly clutching her left wrist.

Sasuke was evidently out of chakra. His breathing was short and sharp, and beads of sweat trailed down his tense jaw line as those unclouded, crimson eyes dimmed into black.

"Are you all right?" she asked, pressing her good hand to his forehead, only to find out that it was steaming. "You're beginning to contract a fever…"

"I'm fine," he said, brushing her arm away lightly and taking her bandaged wrist gently into his hands.

He hesitated for a split second before he applied pressure gingerly against the fragile wrist, causing her to flinch.

"It's broken," he said as he tore off a long fragment from his sleeve with his teeth, wrapping the dark blue cloth around her wrist numerous times. "That should last you until we get to the tower."

Sasuke tightened the knot carefully before meeting her eyes. He had just opened his mouth to say something before a deafening crack interrupted the tense silence, causing both their heads to whirl around.

"No fucking way," said Sasuke hoarsely, obsidian eyes gaping in incredulity.

The shinobi was still standing. The skin from his face had melted into a sizzling liquid, but unlike what they had expected, it seemed to simply slide off.

"Who _are_ you?" asked Miyako in disbelief.

"I'm called Orochimaru," he sneered. "It was entertaining testing your abilities, Sasuke-kun… I must say, to be able to use your Sharingan so well at such a young age is impressively fascinating. You'll be of good use to me."

His golden eyes were practically hypnotizing. Sasuke felt his back stiffen promptly, and from the soft cry of surprise he heard from Miyako, the same thing had occurred to her. His legs were rigid, and his arms had ceased shaking—paralyzed.

"What are you—" he began angrily.

But the sight in front of him shut him up immediately. Orochimaru was performing a rapid succession of hand formations, an evident smirk pasted on his burnt face, and in a flash, his neck had elongated by several fold. Before Sasuke could comprehend what had happened, he felt a stinging pain in the left side of his neck. The paralysis wore off, and in that instant, the pain became unbearable. Sasuke fell against the hard, wooden surface and he let out a sharp cry of pain, his body quivering in agony and his hands clawing at the burning, fresh wound.

"Sasuke?" asked Miyako, her tone lined with hysteria. She turned to Orochimaru, her amber eyes wide with horror. "What did you do?"

"No need to look so alarmed, sweet," snickered Orochimaru as his neck returned to its original length. "I just gave him a parting gift, that's all."

Miyako was in front of him the instant Orochimaru had finished his sentence. There was a flash of silver, followed by the sound of several strands of hair being cut. Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, clearly amused at the blazing fury in the eyes of the dark-haired kunoichi that stood before him. He noticed that her knuckles had gone white and her right hand had begun to shake violently from how tightly she clutched the hilt of her sword.

"Close," he chuckled. "If your anger hadn't been so easy to sense, you might have gotten me."

"Fix him," she whispered. Despite the rage that shone in her eyes, it almost seemed as if she was pleading him to cure the Uchiha.

Orochimaru simply smirked. There was another whiz of silver, but falling for the same tactic twice was something that was impossible for him to do. With a lazy flick of his arm, he sent her flying into a tree trunk so speedily that she didn't realize what had happened until she felt the aching pain in her back.

"It was fun," he said in a sing-song voice as he turned to leave. "I'll see you all sooner than you think… especially you, Sasuke-kun."

The remnants of the streak of red on her chin deepened in color as a fresh line of blood flowed from beneath her stained mask. Miyako blinked several times in an attempt to clear her vision, but it was blurred all the same. Only when Sasuke let out another terrible yell of pain did she remember her current environment.

She stood up too quickly, causing her vision to blur even more. Miraculously, or perhaps it was from sheer desperation, Miyako found her way to Sasuke's side despite her temporary blindness.

"It hurts," he gasped, clasping her hand and squeezing it so tightly that she could barely feel the pain. "Make it stop—"

Another scream. Tears of desperation had began to form in her brown eyes—she had never seen him in such agony—the Uchiha she knew had always been formidable and strong-minded, someone who would never let anyone see a weak, unstable expression in him. Her right hand was beginning to go numb from how tightly he was grasping it, and she choked back the tears. Uselessness washed over her, along with trepidation, loneliness and hysteria—though the battle had lasted countless hours and though the bloody rays of the setting sun were beginning to seep through the thick leaves, this night was still young.

* * *

**author's note:**

i reallyyy wanted to apologize for the uninteresting update, despite the length of this chapter. i didn't want to fast-forward over everything here, simply because this scene is actually important. :[ i know it wasn't very lively nor did it contain anything enjoyable, but i'm planning for the next chapter to be somewhat better. please don't stop subscribing/reading! sooo sorry~~ love you guys, though. :D

xoxo.


	9. Just for Now

**Chapter 9: Just for Now**

A brief hue of white glistened amongst the unilluminated sea of nothingness. Her left wrist was throbbing painfully, and the aching had woken her up from her brief, restless sleep. Miyako brushed the specks of dirt from her weary eyes with her good arm and sat up groggily, brushing the tangled mess of hair from her face.

"Sakura-chan," whispered Miyako as she rubbed her eyes. "Sakura-chan, I'll take over."

The pink-haired kunoichi turned around, and she blinked the weariness from her dull, emerald eyes. Miyako flinched as she stood up, and she clutched her wrist instinctively. There was a flash of worry underneath those jade-green eyes.

"Is it getting worse?" she asked, taking the injured wrist into her gentle hands.

"Sasuke splinted it one more time," replied Miyako as she moved her wrist slowly, observing the damage. "It should be fine—it's tight enough, but handling a weapon might be going out of bounds. You think they'll fix it at the tower?"

Sakura nodded. The fatigue was beginning to seep back into the sea of green. It had been merely a handful of hours since their previous foe had departed, but the time in between felt as if it had crawled past. Perhaps it was the lack of sleep and the insane abundance of fright and angst that made it seem as if it had been days since the second round first started, not hours.

Their encounter with Orochimaru had left team seven with four injured Genin, two of them severely wounded, in addition to crushed confidence. There were still several hours left before the round concluded, but for now, there was nothing that could be done. Two of their most vital members were unconscious, and the other two had seen better days.

The dark-haired kunoichi tensed, and her chocolate orbs widened in alert as she sensed presences approaching their hideout. Sakura had shut her exhausted eyes for merely seconds before Miyako gently shook her shoulders.

"Get ready," she muttered, unsheathing a single kunai with her right hand and slinging the remaining one and its sheath over her dust-covered shoulder. "The Sound are here."

***

"Lee-san!"

Sakura's olive eyes were wide with panic as she stared fixedly at the thick-browed Genin before her. The taijutsu prodigy had miraculously appeared alongside them, and though Lee had inflicted some damage to their opponents, even advanced taijutsu was no match for their techniques.

The Sound shinobi with the heavily bandaged face—the female had called him Dosu—merely chuckled as he watched Lee collapse. A puddle of blood began to form around the dark-haired Genin's head, and the incarnadine liquid seemed to flow from within his ear.

The bandage around Miyako's left wrist had loosened significantly as a result of her movements. There was a terrible, gnawing pain that was beginning to grow, and the wound was heavily hindering her agility as well as her offensive abilities. Amber eyes blinked anxiously as she carefully analyzed the situation, desperately trying to prevent the trepidation from resurfacing beneath.

Sakura was in no condition to fight, or move, in that matter. The Sound kunoichi had immobilized Sakura by seizing a handful of her pink hair, and both Dosu and Zaku had taken a good amount of chakra from Lee. Due to the dreadfully high frequency of the sound waves Dosu had inflicted Lee with, the Leaf shinobi wasn't going to be up for a while. In addition, with the burden of fatigue and a useless arm, fighting three on one would be an unfeasible task. She grimaced at the unfavorable odds, but there was nothing else that could be done. Her right hand tightened its grip around a single kodachi, and she felt a somewhat welcoming and warm surge of chakra surge through her calves as she focused her chakra, disappearing from her position in an instant.

"Kin, get out of the way!" Dosu yelled towards the black-haired Sound kunoichi just before Zaku slid in front of Miyako in an effort to redirect her path.

"Tch, you're annoying," the short, Sound nin sneered as he removed the gloves covering the holes in his hands.

Having already seen his ability against Lee, the young Tsubaki coerced another handful of her remaining chakra to her legs, changing pathways the instant she noticed Zaku. She saw his beady eyes widen as he realized the air pressure coming from the gaping holes in his hands had struck nothing.

Miyako slashed her blade at his head, her amber eyes flashing with concentration, but he had sensed her a split second earlier. Zaku ducked immediately, but his reactions had still been too slow—he felt a foot collide against the bottom of his chin, knocking him several feet backwards.

She flipped the handle of her kodachi and pointed it dangerously at her opponent's throat. Miyako was clearly out of breath—her left wrist was beginning to ache even more, and her legs were trembling from pushing too much chakra to them in an effort to increase her movements. Zaku took one look at her shaking legs and smirked as he wiped the thick trickle of blood seeping from his lips.

"You're fast, I'll give you that," he admitted, his black eyes gleaming with amusement as he raised a skeptical eyebrow, "but how long can you maintain that sort of speed? Looks like you've reached your limit."

Before she could answer, an ear-splitting ring struck the air, and the high-pitched frequency instantly blurred her vision. Her head throbbed terribly, and she struggled to maintain her already disappearing consciousness. A wave of black flashed amidst her unclear vision, and she scarcely had time to register Zaku's movements until she felt him aim a swift punch to her stomach.

Zaku thrust a consecutive kick at her chin; her vision had not cleared despite the fact that Dosu had ceased using his screeching abilities now that the Sound once again had the upper hand, her wrist had doubled in pain, her legs were still unstable from her previous attack, and now blood was beginning to trickle from underneath her mask as well as from her left ear.

She grimaced. On the bright side, Sakura had managed to free herself by cutting off a good majority of her hair, leaving the Sound kunoichi with a handful of pink hair in her grip and stupidly blank expression on her face.

"Sasuke!"

Sakura's cry brought Miyako back to reality and her head snapped up immediately. Her vision was beginning to clear, and for one fleeting moment, she thought it was over—that the Sound had succeeded in killing the Uchiha prodigy and that the rest of them were soon to follow.

The instant she saw the Uchiha standing, her hazel eyes widened with terror, incredulity and at the same time, relief, though the last sensation vanished when she noticed the pool of black markings bleeding from the upper corner of his neck. Zaku let out an angry snarl as he lunged at Sasuke, his weapons drawn, but he was sent flying backwards before Miyako had time to blink.

"S-Sasuke…?"

She almost couldn't recognize her own voice among the shakiness. Sasuke turned, though slightly, but it was enough for her to see those strikingly pellucid scarlet eyes. They narrowed dangerously the moment he recognized her.

"Miyako," he said quietly in a voice that sent shivers past her aching spine. "Who did that to Sakura… and to you?"

She was struggling to stand, but her legs insisted on being uncooperative. Sasuke's crimson eyes flickered from the fresh trickle of blood flowing from the corners of her mask to her violently trembling legs, but he remained silent, waiting for an answer.

"Sasuke, you—"

"I _said_," Sasuke interrupted harshly, curling his lips into a deep frown. "Who did this to you and Sakura?"

The ink-like markings had crawled up to cover the entire left side of his face. The unrecognizable appearance and coldness in his voice, in addition to the overflowing amount of chakra that was seeping from him, informed all the shinobi there that this was not Uchiha Sasuke. At least, everyone excluding Zaku.

"I did," Zaku shouted, standing up only seconds after being struck by Sasuke despite the incredible impact of the blow. His lips curled into a frenzied smirk as he directed his arms outwards so that one faced Miyako and the other faced Sakura and Naruto. "What are you going to do about it, eh, Uchiha?"

Miyako cursed—unless they were given another handful of minutes to rest, her legs were not going to budge. With another smirk, Zaku released the air pressure from his hands, and the dark-haired kunoichi flinched as she braced herself, but nothing but a whiff of a breeze came her way.

She felt the arm that had been lightly wrapped around her waist release her, along with her two other teammates. Sasuke raised an eyebrow and smirked—there was a crazed sense of euphoria in his eyes that made both of team seven's kunoichi shiver unconsciously.

"Was that it?" he mocked.

Zaku's expression clearly revealed the fact that he, like the other shinobi around him, was trying to register how Sasuke had just made the impossible possible.

"Sasuke, your wounds," Sakura called out hesitantly.

"It's nothing," he answered, his smirk widening as he watched Zaku gape stupidly at him. "I feel better, no—more than better. There's like this surge of… incredible strength inside me… I feel like I can do anything." He addressed Zaku again. "If you're not coming to me, then I'll go to you."

And with another blink of an eye, Sasuke had reappeared from thin air directly behind Zaku, who obviously could not register the impeccable speed of the Uchiha genius's movements. Sasuke seized both his arms, causing the Sound nin yell out in surprise, and planted a foot against his back. The bizarre frenzy in his eyes had not yet diminished.

"Well," he began quietly, his voice velvet smooth, "since you're so proud of your arms…"

Sakura let out a small cry of terror as the painful cracking sound echoed in the air, followed by a piercing scream. Meanwhile, Miyako had taken her wide eyes off of the sight of Sasuke holding Zaku's horribly disfigured arm and focused her attention on her legs, knowing that movement would be more than necessary in the next several seconds.

"Now for the other one," Sasuke sneered, amusement shining in his Sharingan eyes.

"Sasuke, that's enough," Miyako said shakily. She was leaning heavily against a tree trunk as she attempted to steady her trembling legs.

Zaku had taken advantage of the fact that Sasuke's grip had loosened by yanking his arms forcefully away from the Uchiha. He backed away several feet, his face white with pain as he snarled at his opponent through clenched teeth.

Sasuke's cold eyes flickered over to her, and the smirk was replaced by a scowl. "Don't interfere."

Another blink, and he had vanished, undoubtedly chasing Zaku once more. Miyako's mind couldn't register another thought, and without hesitation, she lunged forwards, miraculously pinpointing Sasuke's path. She threw her whole weight against her teammate, knocking him sideways.

Miyako's breathing was nothing short of ragged, and she found herself sprawled on top of him, her hands searching for his face. The sea of red had been replaced by a pool of obsidian, and she found relief washing over her as she noticed both the gradual disappearance of the obsidian markings along his throat and the surprised expression.

"Stop it, Sasuke," she said. Her voice was still quivering from the pain that was beginning to flood in every muscle of her body.

"What are you doing?" he said impatiently, his ebony eyes flickering to Zaku.

She drew his face closer to hers, her eyes pleading for him to cease asking questions. Up close, his expressions seemed even more fatigued than normal, and now that the ominous markings were close to vanishing completely, Miyako assumed that the surge of strength he had felt seconds before had left him.

"It's fine, everything's fine," she whispered, parting the black strands of hair from his forehead, which was covered in cold sweat. Her fingers intertwined with his, and she gripped his hand so firmly that Sasuke looked up at her, his expression littered with worry.

"All right," he answered softly, bringing a soothing hand up to her masked face. "If you want me to."

His eyes were aching with exhaustion. Moments earlier, when he had felt that outpour of power running through his veins, it felt as if he could've taken on anything, from the Sound nin to the Hokage. But now that it had receded, the weariness had returned—he had never wanted to rest so much in his entire lifetime. Miyako's voice was hardly audible to him as he pondered over the reason behind his sudden strength, but Sasuke shook his head and brought himself back to reality.

"Uchiha Sasuke," Dosu said, causing the prodigy to lift his head. Even though his face was heavily bandaged, the fear still shone through the Sound shinobi's beady eyes. "We've seen your capabilities. For now, we will retreat."

Miyako said nothing, her fatigued hazel eyes watching Dosu's movements with half the alertness they usually contained as the Sound nin left what looked like a scroll on the surface of the dusty forest ground.

"Next time we meet again, however," began Dosu, meeting her eyes. "We are enemies."

A weary smirk curled beneath her mask as she scoffed. "As if we weren't enemies to begin with."

Dosu shouldered his unconscious teammates, and with another curt nod to Miyako, vanished from sight. Reassurance flooded the three conscious members of team seven as each one of them prayed that the worst was over.

***

Though the remainder of their trip to the tower still consisted of resilient battles, none of them came nearly as close as the near death experience team seven ran into with one of the three legendary Sanin, as they soon came to learn.

Team Kakashi proved to be successful in the second round of the increasingly impossible Chuunin exam. As a small reward, those who passed were given two hours to recuperate before hearing the next set of instructions regarding the third and final round from the Hokage.

The healers stationed at the tower had mended Miyako and Sakura's injuries in a matter of seconds. On the other hand, both Sasuke and Naruto, who had received direct wounds from Orochimaru, had been taken away by Kakashi, who insisted on treating them personally.

It was as if nothing had happened to Miyako's wrist at all, and her heart felt considerably lighter as she strolled down the hallway, motioning her wrist in circles in order to ensure that there were no further injuries. She paused at the door located at the very end of the hallway momentarily before twisting the knob open and entering the room.

Sasuke turned his head sharply the instant her heard the door creak open, but his narrowed, ebony eyes relaxed as he recognized the visitor. Miyako shut the door behind her slowly, and her amber eyes flickered over to her blonde teammate, who was sleeping soundly in a mattress located in the opposite corner of the room. She crossed the small room quickly to the bedside of the Uchiha, who immediately gripped her shoulders the second she sat down on the mattress alongside him.

"Sasuke, what—" she began curiously, her chocolate orbs widening in question.

His hands sought her face in the dimly lit room, and through his frantic movements, Miyako could feel his anxiety. Sasuke brought her face close to his, so close that her heart fluttered in surprise as she noticed the angst in his dark eyes.

"I thought I was going to lose you," he whispered, rushing his words. "After I heard you scream like that, I thought… I thought he had already—"

"Sasuke, everything's fine."

The familiarity of her words allowed Sasuke to realize that she had same the same sentence to him hours earlier.

"He only broke my wrist," Miyako continued quietly, trying not to wake Naruto up. She chuckled. "This isn't like you, Sasuke. What happened to the colossal ego?"

Miyako saw his shoulders unclench and relax, and he heaved a heavy sigh, bringing a hand up to his forehead and rubbing his temples in exhaustion.

"It must be the fatigue speaking," she reassured him. "Everyone's fine—"

Miyako ceased speaking the moment she felt his hand pass her cheek and begin to untie the knot behind her neck. The mask fell, and before she could say anything, Sasuke had pressed his lips against hers. Something surfaced inside her, but she managed to maintain all self-control as he leaned back, obsidian eyes blinking blankly as he registered the situation.

"You're right, I'm just tired, forget I just did that—"

But the miniscule distance between their faces caused the self-control to vanish and without another moment's contemplation, she returned the kiss. For a moment, Sasuke did nothing but stare at her unresponsively, which caused her to realize that it was undoubtedly the first time she had taken the initiative and gone out of her way to kiss him. The only reaction that occurred from either of them was the deepening of the color of her cheeks.

Miyako opened her mouth, intending to begin an awkward conversation with him, but Sasuke realized that, at the moment, he didn't quite wish to hear words. His warm lips met hers a third time, and the two of them suddenly lost all reason and all thought.

Sasuke's hands buried themselves in her tangled hair, closing his eyes instinctively as he felt her hesitant arms wrap around his neck. The warmth, reassurance and pleasure within him was simply inordinate and those emotions increased as he felt the intrinsic desire to deepen the kiss, and he dared himself to allow his tongue to brush against her lower lip, causing her to shudder.

The first few times he had kissed her, he had been indicating his role and strength, but in this minute alone, Sasuke felt as if he was connoting how grateful he was that she was alive in addition to how much he had grown to value her presence—illustrations that were immeasurable, as anyone could tell from merely glancing at the newly attached and inexperienced couple.


	10. Hopes and Doubts

**Chapter 10: Hopes and Doubts.**

"Oi, Miyako-chan!"

The curious Tsubaki turned her head at the echoing sound of a familiar voice, only to see her blonde teammate running energetically down the hallway, waving his hand enthusiastically. Miyako suppressed a grin as she watched the nurses back away from the Genin speeding past the hospital equipment, clearly alarmed at the among of energy radiating from the teenager.

"The third round is starting in five minutes!" he panted, pausing in front of her as he wiped the tiny beads of sweat from his Konoha headband. Naruto looked up at her again once he had regained his breath, his cobalt eyes gleaming with question. "Kakashi-sensei told me to find you. Why are you still here?"

She smiled. "I was just clearing my head a bit. Good thing you came to find me, Naruto-kun, I would've missed the commencement…"

Naruto raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You've been acting a bit strange lately… ever since both Sasuke and I got released from the hospital. Everything okay?"

Hazel eyes flickered elsewhere, and she found a deep stain on the floor to stare at as she ransacked her mind for a reasonable reply.

"It's nothing," she answered, chuckling nervously. "Just recovering from the second round." Miyako glanced up and shot her teammate a convincing smile. "Don't worry about it—worry about who you're up against next."

Naruto grinned and placed his hands on his hips, emitting confidence. "You shouldn't be doubting me! One day, I'll become Hokage—"

She chuckled and turned her teammate around, pushing him down the hallway in an effort to hurry their movements. "You can't become Hokage without becoming a Chuunin first, Naruto-kun!"

***

After a message from the Hokage that consisted of a brief congratulations and, to everyone's disappointment, the announcement that the following ten matches were constructed through a preliminary round rather than the final round, the Genin were assembled into an empty, spacious room.

Despite the break the Genin had been given, two hours was not nearly enough time to recover from the lack of sleep that had been passed on from the previous round. In addition, the groups that had arrived last had scarcely any time at all to rest, and they were still covered from cuts and bruises from the forest.

Miyako shot a curt glance towards Sasuke, and she stiffened as she realized that he had been doing the same thing. The two looked away from each other without speaking, and Naruto cocked his head to one side in confusion as he noticed the cold, bitter expressions on both their faces.

***

_(half an hour earlier)_

"This… this isn't the first time."

Miyako was staring very determinedly out the window, and the dim stream of light from the warm sunset outside highlighted the flushed redness of her cheeks as she pondered over what had just occurred. Had Naruto not mumbled something in his sleep, the two of them might have continued their activities for quite a moment longer. Sasuke shuffled uncomfortably in his bed sheets as he struggled to find an answer.

"I know," he replied awkwardly. "It's just that… I don't know, actually." Sasuke suddenly looked up, and view of a conglomeration of warm colors from the sunset was suddenly immersed by a sea of charcoal. "What if… what if we really are…?"

Miyako chuckled, causing Sasuke to raise an eyebrow. She shook her head, almost as if reading his thoughts exactly.

"I didn't laugh at what you said," she answered, her damp, pink lips curling into a smile. "I just thought that I'd never see you stammer like this."

Sasuke frowned deeply, obsidian eyes flickering with unease. "I was trying to answer your question, in any case—"

Miyako laughed as she ran a hand through his ebony hair playfully, silencing his words. He was suddenly reminded of the time when he had first seen her smile so genuinely on Tanabata evening. Then he realized that had occurred less than twenty-four hours ago, a thought that was simply unbelievable considering how terribly long today had seemed.

"I might have to agree with you for once," she chuckled.

Sasuke said nothing. He was still swamped with exhaustion, and every limb in his body ached to spend the remainder of the day in bed, not to mention it was already strenuous for him to keep his eyes open. They were already beginning to shut from the warmth of the body of the kunoichi seated next to him, it was only a matter of time before he drifted off to sleep…

"… but what if this isn't right?"

Quiet as her voice was, the instance he had registered what Miyako had just said, a wave of attention surged through his fatigued body. Ebony eyes blinked repeatedly as he digested the meaning behind her words, and he turned to her, clearly surprised.

"What do you mean?" he asked incredulously.

Miyako shifted her weight on the edge of his bed and heaved a sigh. "Well, for starters, you're an Uchiha, and I'm a Tsubaki."

"... Are you saying you don't want this?"

Miyako looked up at him in surprise, and it was only then when Sasuke realized how blunt as well as childish he had sounded.

"I mean, it's not like _I_ wanted this—" he began hastily.

Amber eyes hardened almost immediately. "Then why have you been kissing me?"

The candidness of her sentence suddenly annoyed him, not to mention it was embarrassing.

"There is no reason," he retorted dryly. "You're the one who brought this up in the first place."

Miyako's sarcastic answer was cut off by the sound of Naruto shuffling around in his bed. For a few seconds, the two of them simply sat in silence.

"How's that wound he left you?" she asked coolly, insistent on not meeting his eyes this time.

Sasuke rubbed the back of his neck warily. "Kakashi said he couldn't do much to it because the mark was still fresh. He said it would most likely hinder me in the next round since it responds to sudden changes in my chakra system."

"You aren't participating in the next round, then?"

"Of course I am," he replied icily, causing her to raise a perfectly shaped eyebrow. "Do you actually think I'm going to sit out of it?"

"Don't be rash, you just said it reacts to chakra, how are you possibly going to—"

"It's none of your business what I do," he snapped. The vexation and impatience was beginning to accumulate very quickly.

Miyako's lips pursed into a thin, white line, but she said nothing. The room had lost all the warmth it had consisted of before.

"Well," she began, reaching for her mask and fastening the dark cloth around her face as she slid off the mattress. "I'll watch you go try and kill yourself in another half hour."

Sasuke simply rolled his eyes as he heard the door click rather loudly behind her. For several minutes, the Uchiha stared blatantly out the window, where the sun was already beginning to sink beyond the horizon of the village's surroundings, his mind cluttered with gnawing thoughts. The fact that she had brought up their clashing history as an excuse for their growing relationship, which was already progressing at an extremely slow pace, had annoyed him beyond belief. For all he knew, maybe he had been foolish to think that wiping such a blood-stained slate clean was feasible.

***

_Uchiha Sasuke vs. Akado Yoroi._

Despite the large, bold print flashing on the screen, it took Miyako several seconds to register the fact that Sasuke was actually brainless enough to continue into the preliminaries for the third round. The two of them said nothing as she passed by him, walking alongside Naruto and Sakura as the rest of the audience approached the upper balcony.

A sudden tinge of guilt wavered through her, and Miyako mustered a small smile—she had almost forgotten how stubbornly headstrong he had always been, even during their years at the Academy. And who was she to take away the attribute that made Uchiha Sasuke who he was today? The grim smiled widened slightly beneath her hidden mask—perhaps she did owe him an apology.

The second she had cleared out her entirety of thoughts, the weight against her chest seemed much less pressured as it had been before, and, along with the remaining participants of the Chuunin exam, she turned to watch the first match with eager eyes.

The first several moves of the match had been unexpected and spontaneous. His opponent, Akado, wore a tightly bound mask around the bottom half of his face in addition to a pair of black sunglasses, creating a very suspicious image indeed. He lunged at Sasuke the instant the match began, and Sasuke, who was undoubtedly coming up with methods to counterattack his opponent without tapping into his chakra level, evaded without any issues.

But the relief only lasted for a split second. Akado lunged forward once more, and his hand had merely grazed the tip of Sasuke's forehead, but for some strange reason, it was enough to cause the Uchiha to lose his footing. Sakura inhaled sharply as Akado managed to place one hand firmly against Sasuke's forehead, further immobilizing his movements. Naruto and Miyako watched the match with expressions of disbelief—half of them hoped that Sasuke had allowed such a blunder to occur only to perform a spectacular counterattack, but it seemed like it was not the case.

Sasuke felt his energy seep rapidly from his system, and his obsidian eyes fluttered as he struggled to maintain consciousness. In order to prevent using too much chakra, he had restrained from using his Sharingan, but his opponent had some sort of ability, something that left him feeling completely drained from what little strength he had left from the previous round.

He heard Naruto shout his name out, and in an effort to recover himself, the Uchiha mustered a rapid kick at the side of Akado's face, thus lengthening the distance between them. Sasuke scrambled up almost immediately, and he found it grueling to think of a solution to his predicament, especially as the aching in his limbs returned.

Cocoa eyes narrowed with both concentration and worry as she continued to observe the match. There was no question that Sasuke's opponent held the interesting ability to draw out the chakra of others, leaving them completely vulnerable to what was to come after. One more close encounter with Akado and the Uchiha would be done for.

Out of the corner of her ear, Miyako heard quiet murmurs regarding Sasuke's unimpressive performance so far, and she tightened her grip against the railings as she watched Akado charge at Sasuke a third time.

Sasuke grimaced as he saw his opponent head towards him once more, and he continued to pillage his pounding head for a solution. Ebony eyes widened with attention, and just as quickly as his epiphany had occurred, Sasuke disappeared from sight in no less time than it took for Akado to blink.

He clenched his teeth together in concentration and thrust his left leg upwards as hard as he could and felt it collide successfully against the masked shinobi's chin. Sasuke heard a number of surprised gasps from the crowd above, and he managed to recover his confidence from that sound alone.

He smirked as he recalled the steps of Lee's flawless taijutsu from the time they had fought each other. Sasuke reappeared behind his opponent in mid-air, his dark eyes dancing with confidence.

"Surprised, mm?" he sneered, readying himself for the next few steps of Lee's taijutsu. "From here on, it's all original. _Kage Buyou!_"

Sasuke swung his foot in mid-air almost lazily, allowing it to collide forcefully against his adversary's stomach. There was an assertiveness that was practically bubbling from his system, and Miyako breathed with relief as she realized that Sasuke had succeeded in turning the tables in this match.

But the reassurance vanished when a sudden streak of pain suddenly flooded into his already throbbing body. Sasuke flinched unconsciously, clenching his teeth together in pain as he felt the burning sensation spread as quickly as the black patterns seeped from the three-dotted mark behind his neck.

"You have to stop him," Miyako heard Gai mutter to Kakashi. "It's what the Hokage said—if it spreads, we are to cease the match immediately."

"Give him a few seconds," Kakashi mumbled, his one, black eye transfixed on his young student.

"Kakashi, you can't—"

There was a sharp intake of breath, and Miyako realized only a few seconds afterwards that the noise had come from her. Gai turned his attention back to the match immediately with narrowed eyes.

"The marks are returning to their original state?!" Anko said in disbelief. "Impossible!"

The peculiarly patterned ink-like markings were beginning to seep back into their original location as quickly as they had appeared. An impressed smile curled beneath Kakashi's mask as he continued to watch the Uchiha prodigy once again overcome the boundary between impossible and possible.

"Here we go," said Sasuke, landing another blow against Akado's stomach.

He landed not one, but two, three, four consecutive kicks against Akado's chest. There was no doubt that the first blow to his opponent's chin had still left him dazed and unresponsive. Sasuke twisted his body elegantly in mid-air and finished the move with one last kick, sending his enemy flying into the cold, stone floor.

Once the specks, the dust and the blood had cleared, the audience could easily see two figures lying motionless against the ground. Sasuke was indisputably out of energy, but amazingly managed to sit up as the examiner crossed the damaged floor in order to check Akado's pulse. He glanced at Sasuke, clearly impressed, and raised his hand.

"Winner, Uchiha Sasuke!"

Sasuke's vision blurred considerably, and his sore body swayed backwards. There was a sudden puff of white smoke, and Kakashi reappeared behind the dark-haired victor, lazily propping up his student's limp, aching body with one knee.

"Good one," he complimented, shoving his copy of _Icha-Icha_ into the pocket of his coat. "I'm impressed."

Sasuke chuckled weakly and allowed his sensei to help him stand. He felt Kakashi's grip tighten on his shoulder, and the two vanished in another pillar of white, materializing a split second on the balcony above among the remaining members of team seven.

"Idiot," Naruto teased, crossing his arms across his chest. "Winning like that… you're all beat up!"

"Congrats, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura chimed in, her olive eyes shimmering with excitement.

Sasuke felt his lips curl into a wry smile in thanks, and he found his eyes wandering towards the familiar masked face standing next to Sakura. For a handful of seconds, neither Genin said anything, then—

"I—" the two of them began simultaneously.

Kakashi raised a curious eyebrow as he stared at the slightly flustered teenagers before him. Miyako grimaced and reached out, gripping Sasuke's wrist tightly in her hand before turning to her sensei.

"Can I borrow him for a moment, Kakashi-sensei?" she asked with an innocent smile. "It won't take long, of course."

Kakashi shrugged. "Mm. I'll come find you in a few minutes, Sasuke. We need to go and seal up that mark."

Coal-black eyes widened in interest as Sasuke allowed her to drag him outside the spacious room and into the brightly lit hallway. The two took a sharp turn and he found himself in a dimmer, emptier corner. Sasuke felt the curiosity simmer inside him as the two Genin shuffled awkwardly into the narrow space.

"What is it?" he asked warily as he felt the fatigue return.

"I—" began Miyako. She stopped herself and heaved a deep sigh, rubbing her temples anxiously.

"Just say it, I have to go back soon—"

He felt her trembling hands glide against his injured face and simply gazed into the ocean of amber with a mixed expression of amusement and surprise.

"I… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have—"

"No, it's all right," he said hastily, turning his head away. It was the last topic he wanted to discuss. "I understand if you feel that you don't want—"

"I _do_," she insisted impatiently, causing Sasuke to glance up at her with confused eyes. "I was wrong to let something as trivial as that get into the way."

He heard her words drift off into silence as he pressed a warm hand against her cheek, caressing it gently.

"Continue," he murmured calmly as he untied the knot hidden underneath her black hair.

Lengthy eyelashes fluttered downwards, as if that action alone could conceal her image even as Sasuke drew the cloth away.

"And, well," she began awkwardly. "The past is the past, and what matters—"

"Tch," he scoffed lightly, his hand cupping her cheek lightly as he leaned down, bringing their faces to level. There was a weak smirk pasted against his exhausted, yet still attractive face. "Were you that worried?"

"No," she answered defensively, almost a bit too quickly. Miyako cleared her throat and frowned. "A bit, I suppose…"

Her frown deepened as she heard him chuckle in amusement.

"I shouldn't have pulled you aside," she pouted, glaring at the floor. "This is so embarrassing."

"Don't doubt me," he whispered in her ear reassuringly. "Where's my reward for being so forgiving?"

She smiled warily. "Well, at least your ego has returned. There's a sign of improvement."

Sasuke felt her eyelashes brush against his cheek and took in a deep breath. Ever since their encounter in the hospital room, he felt some sort of bizarre craving surface every time they were alone. He smirked as he leaned forwards in the darkness and met her lips, marveling at the sweet, indescribably satisfying feeling that he was immediately presented with. His thumb continued to caress her cheek lightly as he kissed her slowly and he found his free arm tightening itself instinctively around her waist, now completely unaware of the aching limbs in his body.

"Ah-hem."

The two jumped apart so swiftly, turning their heads frantically at the reason behind the curt interruption. Kakashi stood there with both hands in his pockets, flashing a brilliantly innocent smile.

"Hello," he greeted amusingly, acting as if he had seen absolutely nothing and causing both their cheeks to flush a deeper shade. "Sasuke, we should probably head on up to the hospital and seal that nasty mark of yours up now that Shino's defeated that one Sound nin… and Miyako, you might want to check out the contestants for the third round."

The two Genin leaned from their secluded corner, squinting their eyes as they attempted to read the white board several yards in front of them. Miyako felt her heart skip a beat as she recognized the all-too familiar names.

_Tsubaki Miyako vs. Kankuro._

_

* * *

_**author's note:**

personally, i feel like this is another uneventful chapter. my deepest apologies. :[ i feel as if i need to make the storyline progress, and thus everything has been roughly sketched out and a bit unimaginative. i am really looking forward to the events three years from the current time stage and if i could, i would skip to shippuden and start from there. but the progression is necessary, so please bear with me! also, i wanted to thank the reviewers - reviews do encourage me to do a better job with the next update... and of course, they also make me happy. many thanks! :)


	11. A Whisper

**Chapter 11: A Whisper.**

It took a number of seconds for Miyako to familiarize herself with her opponent's name. Kakashi flashed a reassuring smile at her as he rubbed his head somewhat apologetically.

"It looks like I won't be able to watch your match," he said as he patted her back confidently, "but if it helps you, a bit of personal advice—the Sand nin are formidable, but after watching your match with Sasuke, I have no doubt that you can provide even one of them with a challenge."

"Mm," she mumbled quietly as she tightened her mask behind her ebony hair.

"You better not lose," Sasuke said somewhat snappishly. His cheeks were still flushed a slight pink, undoubtedly from having his sensei catch them amidst their displays of affection.

She ignored his brusque remark and, with one last nod to Kakashi, leaped lazily over the second floor railing, landing gracefully on the stone floor of the stage below. Miyako straightened up and glanced at her opponent briefly before allowing her eyes to wander off into the sidelines. Piercing amber met glaring green, and she felt a slight shudder of fear run past her spine as she tore her gaze away from the other male Sand nin. Part of her felt enormously grateful that she hadn't been selected to fight the red-haired shinobi—the aura he emanated was coated with an indescribable animosity.

"Tch, you're the kunoichi from before, aren't you?" sneered Kankuro, causing Miyako to recall their brief encounter shortly before the first round had commenced. "Are you going to face me or just stare at Gaara the entire time?"

"My apologies," she answered frostily, brushing a stray wisp of hair from her gleaming eyes as she readied herself for battle. "After seeing the immaturity of your actions when you were torturing children half your age, I didn't expect to still see you in the running towards becoming a Chuunin."

His slanted, obsidian eyes flashed with anger, causing a smirk to appear underneath the kunoichi's mask. Her opponent was clearly hot-tempered.

"You'll regret saying that after you see how one-sided this match will be," he scoffed. "Be grateful, I'll go easy on you since you're a kunoichi."

Miyako arched an eyebrow at the degree to which Kankuro underestimated her. "Oh? We'll see how that goes."

The proctor cleared his throat loudly, attracting the attention of every shinobi in the room. "Because we still have quite a few matches to go through before proceeding to the final round of the exam, some new regulations will be established. There will be a one hour time limit on this particular match as well as the ones following it. If there is a winner determined before the hour ends, then he or she will qualify for the final round. If neither Genin is capable of continuing the match at any time, a tie will be called and both Genin will be disqualified. However, if, by the end of the hour, the match is still continuing, I will personally observe who has the upper hand by observing the number and intensity of wounds on both participants." He turned to the two Genin standing before him. "Is this all understood?"

Miyako nodded, and Kankuro merely smirked.

"An hour is more than enough time to disqualify you," he sneered.

She said nothing in return, reaching for the sheath that was slung across her back just as the proctor raised his hand in an effort to begin the match. The instant the proctor gave his signal, both shinobi vanished from their original positions.

Hazel eyes narrowed attentively as she attempted to analyze her adversary's movements. He was fast, but if she tapped into enough of the chakra in her legs, the match would be over in a matter of minutes. In addition, the peculiar, bandaged figure that was slung across Kankuro's back would indisputably be a surprise. The faster the match ended, the better. Adrenaline and confidence rose as she noticed and successfully evaded the three shuriken flying in her direction.

Miyako felt the familiar warmth surge from her feet, her pace quickening plenty as the chakra reached her calves and thighs. She saw Kankuro's eyes flicker in surprise as he noticed the immediate change in her speed, and, without another moment's hesitation, lunged head-on, a hint of silver glinting in her peripheral vision as she swiftly unsheathed her twin kodachi.

She swung her weapons as hard as she could, and for a split second, the sight of her blades against Kankuro's forehead made it seem as if the match was already over. But Miyako knew better than that—the menacing, ruthless ambience Kankuro had given off the first time she had met him immediately convinced her that he was no ordinary shinobi.

The figure her blades had struck swirled around, but it looked absolutely nothing like the sneering enemy she had been assigned to face. The wooden puppet was constructed in the shape of a human, its various limbs corresponding to a typical human's arms and legs. Miyako's chocolate orbs flashing in alarm as she felt another presence behind her, managing to sidestep all but a handful of Kankuro's surprise attack. She flinched as she felt his kunai pierce the surface of her shoulder, but thankfully, the wound was none too deep.

She heard Kankuro chuckle confidently from behind her, and seized the opportunity without another moment's contemplation. There was a brilliant whiz of silver, followed by a surprised yell and several drops of scarlet.

Miyako leaped backwards, turning her head twice to make sure the puppet and its master were both in her full line of vision. Her wound had stung briefly, but the pain had faded as quickly as it had come. She tapped a gloved finger against her masked chin thoughtfully, trying to derive the most effective pathway to avoid both Kankuro and his ally.

Furious at the fact that he had let his guard down even for a second, Kankuro flexed his fingers, causing his puppet to move correspondingly. The creepily constructed wooden figure lunged at her, its jaws clacking away in an inhumanly manner as it opened its mouth, allowing two, sharp kunai to project themselves towards her.

She leaped out of the way, only to see Kankuro flick his wrist almost idly, causing the puppet to change directions immediately. Miyako gritted her teeth together as she evaded it at the last minute, slashing a blade upwards, aiming to slice the strings connecting the puppet to its controller in half. Cocoa eyes flashed in shock as she felt the strain the strings put up against her kodachi. Miyako tried again, but to no avail. In the meantime, Kankuro had twisted his puppet's movements so rapidly that Miyako, in her efforts to cut what looked like a simple pair of strings, had no time whatsoever to evade a second wound, this time on the opposite arm.

The dark-haired kunoichi leaped out of the puppet's pathway as it readied itself for another attack. Her eyes narrowed significantly as she continued to ponder over the illogical reason behind Kankuro's strings.

"You haven't figured it out yet?" he sneered as his eyes, seemingly hidden by the incredible amount of face paint, gleamed in amusement. "I'll explain, then—"

"Chakra?" she inquired as the concept suddenly hit her. "You're using your own chakra flow to prevent the strings from being cut?"

Kankuro smirked. "Oh, not so slow after all. In that case, you should already know which one of us will emerge victorious from this match."

***

"That's cheating, isn't it, sensei?!"

There was a deep frown on the young, blonde-haired Genin as he continued to observe the match below, though there was a glint of worry amongst his piercing, sapphire eyes. Kakashi leaned forward, resting his elbows along the metal railings as he too, watched the duel alongside the many other participants from the second floor, his one, obsidian eye flickering with interest.

"You're talking about the Sand nin's puppet?" he asked. "Not really… it's his technique, so it should be allowed. How long has it been since the match began, Sakura?"

Jade-colored eyes flickered to the old clock hanging from the corner of the spacious room. "Sensei only just arrived ten minutes ago… which makes it about five until the hour."

***

It felt like it had been days since their proctor had first allowed the match to begin. Miyako evaded another handful of shuriken that had shot themselves from the puppet's mouth for the umpteenth time, not pausing to wipe the beads of sweat that had appeared against the surface of her temples. Her breathing had become short and ragged, and every minute or so, her vision had blurred for several seconds before clearing up. Perhaps it was from the lack of sleep that had resulted from the terrible ordeals of the second round... regardless, the hour was unquestionably drawing to a close, and without a turn of events, winning would be impossible.

"I'll give your speed some credit," called Kankuro. The smirk had been pasted on his face for the entire duration of the match, "but we both know your little evasions are getting old. Forfeit already!"

He flicked his wrist lazily, sending his puppet soaring at her, and she saw its mouth open as it prepared its first smoke bomb. Kankuro had hardly moved during the past several minutes, and he had been extremely cautious in preventing an opening. Miyako took in a sharp breath and twirled her kodachi handles dexterously in both hands. Her legs had already begun to ache from the considerable amount of chakra used, but it gave her hope to realize that Kankuro had in no way pushed her to utilize as much chakra as Sasuke had.

"Are you dense?" scoffed Kankuro as he watched his opponent bring her kodachi up to the strings connecting his fingers to his puppet a second time. "I already told you that naïve tactic wasn't going to work."

His eyes widened in alarm as he felt the puppet tug his hands forwards. The kunoichi had entangled one of her weapons amidst the two strings, replacing them with quite a complicated bundle of knots instead. Kankuro cursed, tugging the strings in a futile attempt to defend himself as Miyako snatched the offense.

Instead of one kodachi, it suddenly seemed as if she was holding a handful of blades. Kankuro blinked in an attempt to clear his mind, knowing that the possibility of her wielding so many blades at once was less than zero.

Miyako coerced another significant amount of chakra towards her calves, extending her agility and appearing in front of her opponent in hardly no time at all. She brought her arms down as quickly and as effectively as she could, her amber eyes flashing with concentration as another blur of silver clouded Kankuro's peripheral vision.

There was a brief pause, followed by the sound of wood clanking against the cold, stone ground. Miyako frowned in frustration as she watched the now useless puppet fall into uneven pieces as they hit the floor.

In addition to distancing himself from her even after the brutal attack, Kankuro had miraculously managed to detach his chakra flow towards the entangled strings on the puppet by attaching new ones and bringing the puppet in as a shield instead. Despite the extent to which he had created a defense, the long, bloody gash on his chest indicated the full potential of her attack.

Miyako twirled the handle several times in the palm of her right hand before lunging out at Kankuro once more. She saw the frantic gleam in his dark eyes, but did not slow down her pace. Her kodachi was so close now, inches, no, centimeters away from the tip of his nose—

"Time!"

The single word alone caused her to cease abruptly, and she scowled deeply as she felt her heart sink in disappointment. A second more, and she would have undoubtedly been dubbed the victor.

Miyako flinched as the proctor touched her wounds, observing them carefully before walking towards Kankuro, who was leaning against the wall, breathing painfully. She felt her heart rise in hope—if the proctor was taking into account the deepness of the wounds, then there was no way she could lose.

"_Yoru ame_," Kankuro said through gritted teeth as the proctor brushed his hand gingerly against his injuries. "Night's Rain."

Miyako turned her head instantly, her eyes flickering in surprise. "… Impressive. You've seen it before?"

He shook his head as he scowled, clearly enraged at the fact that he had been defeated by a kunoichi. "Educating shinobi on the techniques of various clans is an essential aspect of our village in Suna. I've only read about it."

Not knowing what to reply, Miyako simply nodded. Her eyes narrowed as she noticed the proctor stand up and clear his throat.

"It's a draw," he said.

Miyako blanched. "What?"

"Even though you've only received two light wounds, the extreme amount and intensity of the poison that has already spread elsewhere into your system is nearly equivalent to the wounds you inflicted your opponents with. The medical team will have an antidote for you on the second floor." the proctor replied simply. "But because the two of you were still capable of continuing the match, both of you will proceed to the final round."

"Tch," scoffed Miyako, chestnut eyes gleaming in disdain as she glanced at Kankuro, who frowned just as deeply.

"We'll finish this in the finals," he answered bitterly.

Too exhausted for words, the kunoichi simply rolled her eyes as she proceeded up the long flight of stairs to the balcony. Her limbs ached with every step, but she sighed with relief, knowing that her part in the preliminaries for the final round was over.

"Good work," complimented Kakashi, ruffling his student's already tangled, black hair. "Another second and you would've had him."

"How is he, Kakashi-sensei?"

The young, handsome Jounin raised an eyebrow. "Sasuke? He's fine, he's just resting now… would you want to see him?"

Miyako nodded, glad that she didn't have to waste any extraneous words when her brilliant sensei could easily read her mind. A nurse approached her, holding a tiny vial of clear liquid in her hand. Miyako downed the vial in one gulp, grimacing at the content's bitterness before handing the empty vial back to the nurse and nodding in thanks.

"Mm, room 202B," the Jounin replied thoughtfully. "Try not to wake him, though, it took too long for him to agree to rest. He kept fussing about coming to watch your match."

She made a face. "In that case, he'll be thrilled once he hears that it was a draw…"

***

The door creaked slightly as a figure fully clothed in black slipped inside the small hospital room. The dark-haired male stirred in his sleep, opening a pair of weary charcoal eyes as the visitor shut the door quietly behind her.

"Ngh…" Sasuke muttered sleepily, turning his head as Miyako drew up a nearby stool, positioning it directly next to his mattress. "Oh, it's you... did you lose so soon?"

Miyako knew he was teasing her, but she frowned all the same. "… It was a draw, but we both qualify for the finals."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow—it was evident that he was struggling to stay awake. "A draw? Lucky you… you aren't going to watch the other matches, then?"

"Well," she began as she leaned over so that her chin rested comfortably on his sheets. "I was planning to check up on you, but now that you're rambling about how lucky I am to qualify for the next round, I'm thinking otherwise."

"I always knew I was irresistible," he chuckled jokingly.

Miyako snorted. "I need the sleep, that's all… I just wasn't beat up enough to be eligible for a hospital room."

This time it was the Uchiha who scowled. Miyako chuckled, her amber orbs twinkling as she teased him. The mattress was beginning to become too comfortable, the room too warm and her eyelids too heavy. She felt sleep wash over her and lost all thought in a matter of minutes, embracing the temporary escape from reality and its fatigue.

Sasuke shifted his body so that he could face her sleeping face, smirking as he watched her eyelashes flutter with every even breath she took. Her content, sleeping face was the last thing he remembered before falling asleep, as he most certainly did not recall his hand's movements as it unconsciously clasped over hers.

* * *

**author's note:**

once again, i apologize for the gap in between updates. i've been trying to find inspiration in the writing the pre-shippuden events and lately, nothing fantastic has been clicking. if anyone has any ideas on what to go on in future chapters, feel free to let me know because it would definitely help, haha. i suppose it's just writer's block and i'll get over it... eventually. if anyone has opinions/ideas/comments, please let me know! :) and as always, please review! reviews are very much inspiring - i notice a lot of readers story alerting, which pleases me as well, but leaving your input would provide me with a better view of everything. :D also, thanks to all my readers! you guys are the best.


	12. Last of Days

_the world carries on without you,  
but nothing remains the same.  
i'll be lost without you  
until the last of days._

~ last of days, a fine frenzy.

* * *

**Chapter 12: Last of Days.**

"Tomorrow? Why him?!"

Kakashi ran a hand through his silver hair lazily as he nodded. He grinned when he noticed the conglomeration of frustration and jealousy that was accumulating in the young Genin's cerulean eyes.

"It's just that we need to take extra precautions with Sasuke because his opponent in the next match is Gaara… and you saw what he did even to Lee," said Kakashi. "So we're leaving early tomorrow to train."

Naruto's lips formed into a small pout as he crossed his arms, glaring at his black-haired teammate, whose expression was as indifferent as it nearly always was. Kakashi chuckled amusingly.

"Be patient, mm? I'll train you one day too," he promised.

Naruto's frown was instantly replaced with a broad grin, which he flashed prominently in Sasuke's direction.

"Now that the prelims are over, time for ramen!" Naruto mentioned, his azure eyes twinkling. "Your treat, Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi nodded. "All right, all right… just this once, because everyone excelled my expectations of you four in the preliminaries."

"Er, actually—" began Sasuke.

Kakashi and Naruto turned towards him, waiting curiously for the remainder of his response. The suave Uchiha seldom had any other plans.

"Well, we had originally planned to… spend my last day in Konoha… elsewhere," Sasuke finally said, staring fixedly at a stained spot on the dusty road.

Vague as the sentence was, thanks to the huge effort Sasuke had placed into completing the remark, the other two males seemed to understand immediately.

Naruto smirked. "A date? Where?"

Sasuke merely shrugged, but he was still determined not to meet his companions' inquisitive gazes. "Just further downtown, past the village… where there are more things to do."

"Like…?" inquired Naruto, raising an eyebrow.

Sasuke's scowl deepened as he noticed the smirk widen on his teammate's face. Meanwhile, Kakashi had deliberately excluded himself from the conversation and had instead begun reading the novel he always had at hand.

"It's nothing," the Uchiha mumbled.

"Yeah," snickered Naruto as he pushed his forehead protector out of his glowing eyes. "Oi, Kakashi-sensei, you're still treating us then, right? In that case, I'll go find Sakura-chan."

Their overly carefree sensei merely nodded, his one eye never straying away from the pages of his book.

"Have fun tonight, Sasuke," Naruto chuckled.

Sasuke shot an irritated glare at his teammate. He heaved a long, drawn-out sigh as he watched his sensei and teammate disappear across the street—perhaps this so-called date was more trouble than it was actually worth.

***

A sharp knock sounded from the front door; the noise was soon followed by several rapid footsteps and the sound of a lock turning.

"Hi," Miyako greeted swiftly, snapping the door shut the instant the dark-haired Genin let himself in. "Tea?"

Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion at the sudden generous offer, and he found himself staring blankly at the tea tray she had immediately held out. Her smile was a bit too wide, and it was only then when he noticed the somewhat dark bags underneath her eyes. Perhaps that was the reason behind her spontaneous giddiness.

"Have you been sleeping?" Sasuke asked candidly, taking a mug of tea only because he had no idea what else to do.

"Yeah, just not well," she responded as she poured herself another mug of steaming, green tea. "I'm glad you mentioned that Kakashi-sensei planned something… I need to get my mind off a few things."

"Hn," he replied awkwardly. "I bumped into Kakashi earlier and he said the three of them wouldn't be able to make it."

Miyako raised an eyebrow as she turned to face Sasuke, who was staring very intently at his steaming mug instead. Her auburn eyes glimmered in amusement as she assumed what was correct—the fact that he alone must have organized the day's plans.

"Ah," she answered. "Where to, then?"

"You'll see. You're leaving your mask off again?"

She shrugged, running a loose hand through the sea-black waves as she stepped towards the door. "Mask or not, I get enough death glares from all the kunoichi who were in your previous classes. It's up to you."

Sasuke shrugged as he followed her lead outside. His dark eyes lingered momentarily on her face as he watched her lock the door. Miyako was still dressed in her routine training clothes, and her robes were black, as always. Sasuke blinked absentmindedly; now that he thought about it, other than the ocean-blue kimono he had seen her in on Tanabata, he hadn't seen her wear any other hue.

The sun was still on its path towards the peak of the perfectly azure sky, which was dabbed with hints and fluffs of white clouds. The two Genin proceeded down the somewhat busy road, their eyes meandering on the rows and rows of shops lining down each possible path.

"It isn't fair," Miyako suddenly said.

"What isn't?"

"That Kakashi-sensei chose to train you," replied Miyako sulkily. "Not Naruto, Sakura or me… just you."

Sasuke scoffed. "That's only because I was the unluckiest contestant, getting assigned to face off against that one Sand nin. I have to admit, I was surprised to see Lee injured to that extent."

"… And I get to face off against good, old Dosu," she answered sarcastically.

He smirked. "It shouldn't be too hard—you've already gotten a good look at his technique. Consider yourself lucky… why do you want to go up against such a tough opponent anyway?"

Miyako's frown deepened. "So I wouldn't have to hear all these comments about me being lucky."

"Then impress me," he said teasingly, causing her to smirk.

"If you hadn't been so hopelessly _injured_," she chuckled, accentuating the last word, "then perhaps you would've been able to see my match… but since you aren't going to be back here for a month starting tomorrow, let's try and keep the bickering on the down low today, shall we?"

Sasuke's smirk widened as he felt her hand slip into his, their fingers intertwining almost instinctively as the two of them scanned the busy streets before them with eager eyes.

"I'm out of kunai," said Sasuke. "There's an armory further down the street… do you need anything?"

"Mm, I should probably sharpen my kodachi, they're a bit dull… oh," she exclaimed, cocking her head to one side as she stared at the crowd that had gathered in front of the armory. "Some sort of contest?"

"You haven't heard?" a young man to the left of them said. He grinned when the two Genin shook their heads. "The armory here is one of the best ones in Konoha—you look like a shinobi, so you would probably know," he said, nodding towards Sasuke. "The owner's set up a really straightforward contest—first one to strike all the targets set up wins. They're offering a weapon of your choice as the prize—sword, lance, anything. People have been trying all morning, but it looks rather impossible."

Miyako arched an eyebrow and turned to Sasuke, who was pondering the exact same thing. "Targets? If they're just targets, why hasn't anyone won yet?"

Sasuke shrugged and tugged her hand gently forwards, leading her through the crowded area. "Let's give it a try."

Miyako chuckled at his eagerness to compete, but followed his steps all the same. A keen, gray-haired shinobi, presumably the owner, spotted Sasuke's forehead protector and beckoned them to come up front almost instantly.

Laid out in the open space behind the armory stood six casual targets, all positioned in a large circle with a good distance between each one.

"Heard about the contest then, eh?" the owner asked earnestly, clapping the young Uchiha on the shoulder. "No doubt you're a shinobi… the rules are simple—there are a total of eight targets, six of which you see in front of you and two of which are hidden behind those two large boulders." He nodded towards the boulders accordingly. "I'll provide you with eight kunai. Use them however you want, and if you manage to strike the center of each target, then we'll have a winner."

The elderly man smiled congenially. "People have gotten close, but the hidden ones have been troublesome. How old are you, son?"

"Fifteen." Sasuke had his hand extended his hand out towards the owner before he had finished his last sentence. "I'll do it."

"Ah, you're young," the owner replied, handing the Uchiha a handful of kunai. "A Genin then, mm? This is advanced Jounin training… oh, and I forgot to mention. You must throw your kunai out all at once."

Miyako merely stared at the elderly shinobi, her thoughts agreeing exactly with what the audience behind them was murmuring—the task was certainly advanced, and perhaps even impossible for anyone beneath a Jounin rank. There was no doubt she could strike the centers of the six visible targets all at the same time, but the two hidden ones seemed like a bit of a stretch.

The number of onlookers had increased significantly the moment they heard that a Genin had taken on the challenge. There had already been several shinobi who had attempted the task before them, some of whom were twice Sasuke's age, but none had quite succeeded.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed in concentration as he walked towards the center of the targets, shifting and positioning the kunai smoothly between his fingers. He stopped and shut his eyes, replaying the memories in his mind. His heart lurched with hatred, but the enmity disappeared as he exhaled, tightening the grip on his weapons.

Eyes still closed, the Uchiha prodigy bent his knees at a precise angle briefly before launching himself several feet into the air. He felt the cool zephyr press comfortingly against his young face as he flipped himself over perfectly in mid-air, allowing the all-too familiar sensation of chakra to flow steadily into the tips of his fingers.

Sasuke's eyes snapped open, and the sable hue that had glittered with indifference only seconds before had been replaced with a set of brilliant crimson, each orb blazing with accurate attentiveness. He felt the adrenaline rush through his system, and without another moment's hesitation, Sasuke thrust all eight kunai in opposite directions. For a split second, it looked as if merely three or four of the weapons were going to reach their targets, but there was a sudden, sharp clang of metal colliding in mid-air, followed by the sound of several kunai planting themselves in wood.

There was a short pause among the crowd, each pair of eyes focused directly on the elderly owner, who had already begun walking towards one of the hidden targets, while indicating to his assistant to check the other one. Having landed perfectly in the center of the circle, Sasuke begun walking towards Miyako, his blood-red eyes fading hurriedly into their original, dark shade in order to avoid curious stares.

The two Genin waited patiently as the owner and his assistant emerged from behind the large boulders. The curious murmurs among the watchers behind them had begun to increase, and out of sheer peripheral vision, Miyako noticed a few shinobi—Jounin, judging from their uniforms—who were grinning from ear to ear and shooting impressive glances at Sasuke. There was no doubt they had already seen the Uchiha's performance at the Chuunin exams.

The doubtful mumbles of the observers turned into admired shouts of glee as they noticed the owner nodding his head, a grin plastered on his wrinkled face.

"Never in my life," he began, "have I seen such a performance. Konoha is proud to have you as one of its shinobi. As promised, you can take any hand-crafted weapon from my shop, free of charge. Impressive… very impressive."

He was still muttering words of admiration as he led the two back towards his shop.

"For a second there, I thought you had screwed up," admitted Miyako, her lips tugging themselves instinctively into a small smile, "but I was naïve to think that... Sasuke?"

Ebony eyes flickered back into reality, and he returned her sentence with a half-hearted smirk, one that faded moments too soon. Sasuke noticed her mouth open, but he interrupted just in time by tousling her hair, knowing that she had immediately perceived the fact that something was bothering him. Instead, he nodded towards the rows and rows of hand-made weapons that hung delicately against the walls of the small armory.

"Get a new set," said Sasuke, shuffling his hands lazily into the pockets of his shorts.

"Of kunai for you?"

"No," he replied exasperatedly, pointing at the sets of short swords that hung in the right-hand corner. "Kodachi."

Miyako looked up at him in disbelief as the owner handed a set of new kodachi to Sasuke. He flipped the sword several times in his hands before handing it to the kunoichi standing next to him.

"They're considerably lighter than the ones you have now," he commented, smirking at her blank expression. "Even I can be a gentleman every once in a while. We'll take them."

She grinned as she observed the swords' features before handing the set back to the owner, who began delicately wrapping the weapons up.

"For the kunoichi, then?" said the owner, eagerly handing the bundled set to Miyako. "Is there anything else the two of you need?"

"Kunai," responded Sasuke simply, reaching into his pockets for his wallet, only to see the older man shake his head in response.

"Knowing that someone like you is protecting Konoha is far enough payment for me," he said, handing another neatly wrapped bundle to the young Genin. "This village needs more shinobi like you."

Not knowing what to say, Sasuke merely nodded in thanks. It didn't take the two of them too long to emerge from the crowd, now that the performance had ended and the onlookers had continued on their own separate paths, but in the little time alone, Miyako had noticed that the glint of vexation had once again appeared in the Uchiha's charcoal eyes.

***

"… You are terrible at this game."

Miyako frowned, biting down on her lower lip in concentration as she watched the pool of goldfish with an unusual amount of concentration. She lowered the net slowly for a few seconds before cautiously dipping it into the water, causing all the goldfish to scurry to the opposite end. She pursed her lips together in frustration, brushing her hair from her eyes.

"Again," she said flatly, proceeding to lower the net once more.

Sasuke sighed, both with exasperation and amusement. "This is the third round and you've only managed to capture three. The kids are better than you."

"Shut it," answered Miyako, her eyes following the path of the fish below her. "The game's not over until my net's useless."

Just as she was about to lower the net against the surface of the water, Sasuke approached her from behind, heaving yet another sigh. She felt her back press against his chest, stiffening as Sasuke held her wrist in one hand, his obsidian eyes watching the fish attentively as he lowered both her hand and the net into the pool.

"The key to this game is patience," he muttered in her ear. "You can't lower the net too slowly, nor can you do it too quickly. Just watch."

But Miyako couldn't watch. Her eyes were focused on the clear pool of water below, but her mind focused solely on how miniscule the distance between them was. She could feel his warm breath against her neck as he continued to give her instructions, but she was tuning them out—

She found herself sinking back into reality, only to notice that Sasuke had merely been swaying the fragile net against the water in an attempt to break the cloth holding it together. Miyako's frown deepened as she tossed the now useless net in an empty bin, glaring daggers at the prodigy beside her, who was smirking, apparently very pleased with himself.

"We should probably be heading back," he said, after several minutes of having Miyako ignore him.

The sun had already begun to set, though instead of the normally vibrant colors Konoha's sunsets normally consisted of, the accumulating clouds above them were beginning to darken.

"Do you reckon we can beat the rain?" asked Miyako as the two of them quickened in pace.

"I know a small shortcut," mumbled Sasuke, taking a sharp left turn down an empty alleyway. "This way."

She followed his steps and the two began breaking into a run as the heavy drops began sinking towards the ground, soaking them in a matter of seconds.

Miyako followed Sasuke's lead for what seemed like an eternity. She suppressed a light shudder as she lifted her head, and she ceased walking as she suddenly recognized their location.

Standing before them was a gate to a village, but judging from the aged wood and the now unreadable characters inscribed at the top of it, it was clearly uninhabited. Miyako blinked the raindrops from her eyelashes as she caught up with Sasuke, who had now slowed to a walking pace.

For several minutes, neither of the two said a word. Miyako felt her stomach lurch uncomfortably as she noticed the faded, cracked paper fan symbols against the stone walls surrounding the horribly vacant village. Despite the loud sound of rainfall and the occasional flashes of lightning, there was an empty silence that rang through the deserted streets, and the overall presence of the sunless, gray sky made the village seem even more desolate.

"There's still a long way to go," said Sasuke, his voice coated with nonchalance as he led her along the steps of a particular house. "We should just wait it out in here."

"No."

The solitary word had tumbled out of her mouth before she had even registered the response. Sasuke turned to face her, his face dripping with cold rain.

"… Why?"

"No," she repeated, pushing her soaked hair from her eyes. "There are other places."

"… Are you thinking that I'm bothered by this?" he asked skeptically. "It's nothing, it's been a while—"

"It hasn't been a while," interrupted Miyako. "If it was nothing, you wouldn't have immediately thought of this shortcut."

Sasuke said nothing, his lips pursing into a thin line as he glanced elsewhere. Both of them knew where this conversation was turning.

Ever since her first years at the Academy, when she had first received the horrific news regarding the massacre of the Uchiha clan, Miyako had known that as the sole survivor of the clan, Sasuke would indisputably set his revenge as his only priority. But the miracle of time had provided her with the belief that perhaps Sasuke would rearrange those priorities. And lately, the more often she pondered over the situation, the less she slept.

"… You wouldn't leave, would you?" she asked quietly.

Miyako noticed a muscle tense along the back of his neck, but waited for his answer patiently.

"You're right," he said indifferently. "It's unforgettable, what he did. You wouldn't understand it, you've never met him."

She opened her mouth hesitantly. "Actually—"

"I would," said Sasuke firmly.

Miyako fell silent. She merely stared at him, the hazel hue shielding the shades of disappointment, but he seemed determined not to look her in the eyes, knowing that he would come close to changing his mind if he did so.

"… Is that what today was for?" she asked steadily.

His heart lurched in guilt. It had always been her keen ability to perceive that gave him away so easily. Sasuke shook his head, pressing down the aggravating thoughts as he turned his neck to face her.

"There isn't any point in standing here," he said quietly, walking towards the gate. "We should go."

Miyako said nothing, but she followed his lead, her head spinning with their previous conversation. The weight that had been released from her chest seemed to have returned, and she was so fixated on her thoughts that it seemed to take no time at all to find a local inn.

Sasuke slid open the bamboo door and immediately approached the middle-aged man sitting at the front desk. Miyako stood in the center lobby, unaware of the curious stares she received from the other inhabitants of the hotel. Only when her body gave an involuntary shiver did she realize how cold it really was.

"There are only singles left," she heard Sasuke say as he approached her, twirling the key between his fingers.

He was greeted with another silent response. Sasuke turned down the corridor, his eyes scanning the hallways for the correct room number. He opened the wooden door, revealing a nicely sized room, which consisted of several straightforward decorations and a single bed in the center of the room. A neatly constructed bathroom was further inside the room, complete with a sliding door that contained a set of clean towels and linen. After staring blankly at the clothing provided, Miyako slung a light pink yukata and towel over her shoulder, and left the room without another glance at Sasuke.

***

The sun had set rather quickly, and rather than let up, the storm had worsened significantly, and the two Genin had no choice but to remain in the inn. They were still a good distance from Konoha, and both Sasuke and Miyako hoped that Kakashi's aptitude would allow him to find them early the following morning.

The two had also taken advantage of the gender separated indoor springs on the main floor, though Miyako had lingered in the bath a good deal longer—presumably, she had simply wished to remain out of the room.

As darkness began to settle in and the rain continued to pour onto the village, the Genin had prepared to spend the evening in complete silence. Seconds, minutes, hours passed. Sasuke's even breathing and the sound of the rain colliding peacefully against the rooftop were the last noises she heard before the fatigue that had accumulated in the evenings before washed over her.

Having always been a light sleeper, Sasuke found himself awake in a mere handful of hours. He opened his dark eyes blearily, turning his head towards the opposite side and grimacing as he rubbed the taut muscles in his neck. The young Genin had been trained to sleep in a variety of environments, but even he had to admit that compared to the mattress he normally slept in, sleeping in a chair with his head propped against the windowsill had never been the most comfortable.

The Uchiha sighed noiselessly, leaning his head back against the opaque window, blinking the weariness from his eyes. The rain continued to fall steadily, though the brief flashes of lightning had already ceased.

He had only begun staring expressionlessly out the window for a few minutes before he heard the shuffling of bed sheets. Sasuke turned, raising an eyebrow in curiosity as he wondered if Miyako was awake as well. She mumbled a few incoherent words in her pillow before the room was once again replaced with its original amount of stillness.

Sasuke scoffed, assuming that she had purely been talking in her sleep. He closed his eyes wordlessly once more, hoping to drift back off to sleep, only to hear Miyako mutter something unintelligible once more.

The composed male sighed as he headed towards the bed, half amused at the fact that he had always been unaware of her ability to sleep talk. He approached her quietly before hesitantly sitting on the opposite end of the mattress, leaning his head forwards in order to distinguish what obscure words had prevented him from falling asleep.

He waited patiently for a good deal longer, but it seemed as if the talking had ceased. Sasuke ran a free hand through his black hair, shrugging his shoulders indifferently as he walked back towards the corner of the room.

"… Go," came a voice that was barely audible. "… Don't go."

So she was awake, then?

"What is it?" he asked warily.

No answer. His dark eyebrows furrowed together in confusion, and he began approaching her once again, this time determined to figure out whether or not the kunoichi was actually asleep.

"Don't," she muttered again. "Don't…"

He leaned over her, his hands suddenly pausing as they made their way towards her. Jet-black eyes blinked as the Uchiha adjusted himself to the darkness, his right hand gliding against the surface of her pillow, which happened to be considerably damp. Charcoal orbs turned towards her sleeping figure again. Even though it was only her back that he was seeing, he could easily notice that she was shivering. He reached for the covers, drawing them over her thin shoulders just as she spoke again.

"… ke. Sasuke…"

Sasuke froze, his hand still hovering above her. Before he had even digested the situation, he found himself gently shaking her shoulders.

"Miyako," he said quietly.

Auburn eyes snapped open almost instantly, and she turned to face Sasuke, her eyes scanning the dark room for any signs of disruption.

"It's nothing, calm down," said Sasuke, watching her carefully as she breathed a sigh of relief.

"What is it?" she sighed as she fell back against her pillow. "It's hardly morning."

"You were talking in your sleep," he said, choosing his words cautiously.

Miyako's expression darkened. For a successful shinobi, sleep talking was undoubtedly a sign of some sort of weakness.

"… I don't talk in my sleep."

Sasuke paused briefly. "You were saying my name."

A tense silence followed his answer. Miyako turned her body on her side in order to face the teenager sitting beside her, her lengthy eyelashes fluttering as she glanced up at him.

"Is that…" began Sasuke. He cleared his throat. "Is that the reason you haven't been sleeping lately?"

Her eyes flickered. "It's nothing… go back to sleep. You have to leave early in the morning."

"… Are you crying?"

"No," she said firmly, glaring up at him. "My face is dry."

"But your pillow isn't."

"It's nothing," repeated Miyako icily. "Besides, why does it matter? Aren't you planning on disappearing?"

Sasuke bit down on his lower lip. "Not now."

"Eventually," she replied in a steely tone.

"You don't trust me?"

Her lips curled into a snarl, and she sat up, straightening herself to his height. "No, I don't, and we both know—"

Sasuke leaned forward, silencing her immediately as he pressed his lips firmly against hers. Miyako turned her head swiftly, breaking off the kiss, now glaring furiously at him.

"Don't touch me," she snapped.

"… I won't leave."

Miyako scoffed. Sasuke gripped her shoulders tightly, his obsidian orbs flashing determinedly as he repeated himself.

"I won't go" he said quietly. "I'll leave with Kakashi tomorrow, and I'll come back." He loosened his grip as he noticed the hints of relief that had washed over her.

"You'll come back," she repeated slowly, finding the concept somewhat difficult to believe.

Once again, his stomach lurched in guilt. "Mm."

Miyako fell back against the pillows and heaved a deep sigh. "Get under the covers." She made a face when Sasuke arched a skeptical eyebrow. "It's cold, and you only have a couple of hours before Kakashi comes."

He obeyed, slipping underneath the covers, his lips curling into a small smirk. "You don't think I'd do anything to you?"

"No," came the one-worded response. Miyako ran a hand through her tangled hair, turning herself on her side so that her back faced him. "You aren't that petty."

"But I'm not that patient either," he breathed in her ear, snaking his arms around her waist. "And… apparently, neither are you."

Miyako suppressed a light chuckle as she turned to face him, her cool hands stroking his pale face. He leaned forwards and kissed her briefly, but reassuringly.

She felt the flutter of drowsiness come over again, and she leaned closer to Sasuke, eager for the warmth his presence radiated.

"I enjoyed today," she whispered.

He smirked. "I know."

"Remember today at the armory?" asked Miyako hesitantly. She continued when he merely nodded. "… Why were you so bothered by it?"

Sasuke's smirk turned into a deep scowl instantly. "It just brought back memories."

"Of... ?"

"... I saw him do that exact same training routine," he said bitterly, "but he was two years younger than I am now. He also succeeded in striking every target without even opening his eyes."

So that was it. As much as he had wanted to escape from his past, it seemed to follow him wherever he went.

"Do you want to know what I like most about you?" she questioned, causing him to shrug in response. "It's the overwhelming confidence that you always carry yourself with. Without it, it's easy for you to be labeled as any other normal shinobi, which you clearly aren't… and I know you would never even let him get in the way of succeeding."

"You must be exhausted," he replied as a slight smirk played at his lips. "You're talking a lot more than you usually do."

"Go to sleep—it'll be sunrise soon," she scoffed wearily, closing her tired eyes.

Within minutes, Sasuke felt her cool breath against his body; her breathing was no longer abnormal, but instead calmer and more even. He stared at her sleeping face for several more seconds, his narrowed eyes flickering uneasily in the darkness as recalled what he had promised. Lying to her wasn't quite like lying to anyone else—there was something convincing about the way she had refused to admit that she had been dreaming about his inevitable departure. Drastic changes would indisputably happen in the near future, changes that would completely invert the worlds they were each dwelling in now.

So much had happened in so little time. He had always been alone, silent and nonchalant, but the experience of spending so much time alongside team seven was beginning to quench the hatred that had lingered inside his system for years. Ever since the massacre, Sasuke had closed his eyes to the bonds that had been so brutally severed from him, but little by little, he was beginning to see again. His heart sank as he thought of how inescapable of a path fate had strung out for him.

But it was the present that mattered most. It was what always did, because these were the last of days.

* * *

**author's note:**

so i had some trouble uploading this chapter simply because i felt as it was somewhat cliche. the new semester started this week, but i'll continue to try and update. i am so looking forward to shippuden - the plot gets so much better. :/

as always, please don't hesitate to review! they always perk up my day. :) any insights and opinions would be extremely helpful! thaaaanks!

xoxo.


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